Tainted
by boidwoik
Summary: A new drug known as "Twinrova," as well as many other drugs, have been unleashed among Hyrule. Link and Zelda must travel into the filthy streets of West Castle Town in order to uncover the provider and prevent the widespread of this illegal activity. [Rated M for intense violence.]
1. Author's Note

_Author's Note_

_This was originally going to be a one shot, but I had all of these other ideas so I just decided to combine them all. I wouldn't exactly categorize this as "crime," considering there isn't much to it. I just didn't know what else to label this as. If anything, it's probably just a giant gore._

_So if you can't handle a lot of intense violence, then you probably shouldn't read this story._

_Pleasedon'thateme,Idon'treccomenddrugs, but I got the idea one day when I was reaaally high tothepointthatIwasretardedandcouldn'tthinkstraight, and although it was fun at first, I wondered what it would be like to someone who had no idea what was going on, so that's what started it all. And then the rest of the story just came to me haaa._

_Forgive me asfhjsdgk. I don't normally stray away from Zelda themes, especially if it's going to be a full-fledged story, but I was already writing this one-shot and now it's happening. I tried to keep it as close to the Hyrule setting as I could._

_I don't plan on this being a long story, so it will only be about five chapters or so. Hopefully you'll enjoy this! Thanks for reading._


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter I

There was a rumor spreading around of a newfound drug house hidden deep within the cobblestone streets of innocent Castle Town. The hidden premises had been luring in Hylians and sparking up illegal activity, exchanging banned potions and promoting dirty business. It wasn't an immense problem before, not until the drugs began to wildly spread to the rest of Castle Town. The most eccentric drug going around was currently known as "Twinrova," a liquid that would erupt in violent habits. The user who would inject the poison into their veins would be influenced to set people and objects afire, and once the drug wore off, the user would suddenly freeze to death. These incidents had been occurring for only two weeks, but it was enough time that already 2% of Castle Town's population had declined.

The only way to stop this act was to track down the provider, and the only one who would be able to do so was Link, the head knight of Hyrule. It was Link's key assignment granted to him by Princess Zelda to ensure that the seller of these drugs was captured and jailed. The only problem was that Link didn't exactly have a lead. So far, the only lead discovered was from a man named Doctor Borville who had been slipping skulltula venom inside patient's potions at the infirmary. The venom would certainly heal them, but not without some mutant defect. It was assumed that the doctor had been purchasing this illegal drug somewhere. If Link desired to discover the provider's whereabouts, he would have to obtain the information from the doctor, but it would definitely prove difficult.

Link and the doctor now stood alone inside the small infirmary across from each other at a distance. It was ordered that the building be closed early so that the two of them could hold a discussion. Any current patients were sent to Hyrule Castle. The only thing standing between Link and Borville was a maple wood table, which the doctor hoped would be enough to stall the knight while he escaped.

"Of course I was giving them the drug," doctor Borville confessed, backing away from Link. "Don't look so mad; the distortions eventually wore off! Besides, it's much easier buying drugs than making them myself. Do you know how difficult it is for a wrinkled man my age to go out into the wilderness and find ingredients to make potions?"

Link narrowed his flickering cerulean eyes, a wave of frustration falling over him. "You did this even knowing the consequences? What if the problem grew worse and didn't wear off?" He took a heavy step forward, watching the doctor cringe with fear.

"L-Listen," Borville pleaded, raising his hands in front of his face as if to protect himself. "I'll tell you anything you want to know. Just don't hurt me!"

The infuriated hero slammed his fists on the table so hard that several bottles rolled off of their surfaces, whether it be cabinets or shelves. "I need to know two things right now; the provider and the location! I have to find where this drug house is before it spreads even farther! Do you hear me?!" Link dug his hands beneath the table and tossed the heavy surface aside. It slammed against one of the shelves and knocked the potions down, all of them crashing onto the ground and breaking into several pieces, the liquid gushing from their broken bottles.

Borville screeched and went to run to his potions, but Link quickly grabbed him by his shirt and shoved him against the wall. "L-L-L-Look! I d-don' know where the drug house is, ok-k-kay?"

The knight slammed the doctor once more against the wall and growled.

"Wait! Please! All I can tell you is that I get my drugs from a man with silver hair. We meet at the West Gate every Tuesday night. Now, I'm not sure whether he's the sole owner of this giant mess, but I think he has some info on your big drug lord."

Link studied the crippled old man's face for a moment, wondering whether this animal was truly telling the truth or not. With a grunt, the knight released the old man from his grip and turned away from him, digging into his pouch. "So be it if this is all the information you can give to me. Just be aware that you will be imprisoned for all of this illegal activity." He retrieved a dangling pair of metal handcuffs that glimmered in the lamp light.

"_What_?" The doctor spat, suddenly overwhelmed with rage. "Imprisoned? All I'm trying to do is help people!"

The hero opened the cuffs and turned back to face the small old man who pathetically cowered against the wall. "Purchasing illegal 'medicine' and mutating innocent citizens is not 'helping people.' You were well aware of the consequences all along, and now it's time to pay your debt!"

"Don't come any closer!" Borville suddenly shouted. His hand slammed on the table next to him and he seized what looked to be a syringe filled with a muddy brown liquid that hugged to the glass walls like thick glue. The medical instrument quivered in his hands as he held the needle above his antecubital vein, a pasty drop landing on his upper forearm. A heavy bead of warm sweat dripped down the doctor's forehead and nose. "I'll do it! I swear!"

_Twinrova_. Link's eyes lit up with fear. "Don't! You have no idea what that drug is capable of!"

As the knight took a step towards the doctor to aid him, a helpless hand moving forward, the doctor was overcome with abrupt panic. "_I said don't come near me_!" The needle shot into the air and was thrust back down into his vein, which instantly bulged with the thick serum all the way up his arm. Borville's face lit up with intense pain, grimacing as he let out a blood curling scream so loud that the remainder of the bottles burst. A flame caught fire on his arm and spread to the tips of his fingers like wildfire, blood spurting out of his fingernails. The burning red danced on his skin that flickered against the doctor's glasses, watching his precious arm being consumed by the fire. However, as if he were unable to control himself or feel the pain, he let out a maniacal laughter, although his skin was boiling and blistering. "Come here, my shining knight in armor! How about you help me now?"

A surge of unease crossed over Link, wondering what he could possibly do to save this man, or what he could do to avoid a fight with the citizen. Doctor Borville threw his hand towards the knight as if he was going to claw him from across the room, but instead a wave of fire flew towards the victim. Link quickly removed his shield from his back and used it to block the burning heat spiraling towards him. The impact was so strong that Link's feet skid backwards a little ways, and then the flames disappeared into smoke, making it temporarily inconvenient for the knight to see. He peered through the grey cloud, straining to look for the small man, when out of the smoke came the burning doctor, now entirely consumed in flames. Borville slammed his shoulder against Link's shield as if trying to break through, but he was no match for such a sturdy hero.

Amongst the sounds of dancing flames were the doctor's vicious screams, whether it be out of pure lunacy or the immense pain. Link shoved hard against the doctor, knocking him down fully. Much of the floor was burning beneath the flickering crimson fire, making it hard to move around without getting scorched, and a dreadful smoke was lifting to the ceiling hat clogged Link's lungs. He covered his oral area with his arm, although that didn't keep him from sweating. The knight jumped over Borville, who was struggling to return to his feet, and grabbed a fairly large bucket from the counter. This bucket was filled with water for cooling down patients with high temperature fevers, but for now it would have to be used to put out the doctor. With a grunt, Link threw the bucket forward without it leaving his hands and a titanic amount of cool water raced for the squirming creature on the ground.

Borville noticed the death threat out of the corner of his eye and hastily rolled out of the way with a screech, but some of the ice cold water managed to strike him on his arm and shoulder. His cries only grew louder and his malicious, twisted grin disappeared. He lifted his arm aloft from his peeling face and watched as the flames dispersed from his wriggling fingers and become replaced with ice and steam. "What have you done to me?" The doctor howled as he forced himself back up to his feet. An intense glare laid its malevolent eyes on Link, and a deep scowl dug its way into Borville's wrinkled and blistered face. "I'll make you pay for this!"

Again the doctor darted for Link, spurts of ambers spitting from his feet. However, the doctor was much slower than before. Ice was beginning to consume him around his chest and had already absorbed one of his legs. He growled and grinded his teeth, desperately wanting to lie his burning hands on the clean-fleshed hero. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do except slow down. With one last piercing scream, the doctor sluggishly stretched his hand out to grab Link, but the hero was just out of his reach before his hand completely froze. The ice crackled as it raced up his neck and chin and eventually took over his face, digging into every indention.

Link's eyes had been wide the entire time the event took place. He took a step back, never having intended doing this sort of damage. However, it didn't frighten him; he had seen much worse than this in battle. This just took him by surprise. It was recorded that there was an estimate of three hours before the frosting would begin to take place. At least now he could journal this new discovery – water turns fire to ice.

xXx

Princess Zelda paced back and forth in the tea room with her concerned fingers rubbing anxiously against her chin. "So in the end, Borville froze? You didn't draw your sword on a civilian, did you?"

"No, ma'am," Link replied, sitting quietly in a chair a few feet away from the unnerved Zelda.

"And it didn't occur to you that you should put out the remainder of the fire in the infirmary?" She scolded, refusing to look at Link who sat in a chair before her. "Who knows what sort of stash of Twinrova the doctor had in there? We could have salvaged the drug and had it tested. Maybe even find some fingerprints."

A bead of sweat rolled down the knight's face as the princess spoke to him this way. There wasn't much that Link was afraid of, but when the princess was mad he was definitely afraid. "I tried to get all of the information I could. So far, one of the only things I learned earlier is that water speeds up the cool down process."

Zelda's eyes brows creased down into a deep thought. "I suppose this will be convenient in preventing future rampages, but if they merely turn to ice as a result then that doesn't exactly save our citizens, does it?" She stopped cold in her tracks and gazed over at Link as if for an answer. "If we want to protect this precious Castle Town, then we need to uncover the provider and have him put behind bars."

Link's eyes suddenly lit up with self-approval and he practically jumped from his seat, the chair nearly falling back. "Princess Zelda-!" He suddenly caught himself, not wanting to get overexcited in the princess' presence, as it was considered rude. He coughed into his hand and controlled himself, standing with his back straight, a hint of rose color smacking his cheeks. "Your Highness, Doctor Borville mentioned that he purchased the drug from a man with silver hair at the West Gate."

"The West Gate? That's where the citizens of the lowest class reside…" She walked to the window with her hands folded behind her back and gazed out at the night-lit town, the street lamps providing as the only source of light. "That's where you were raised, wasn't it?"

Link was silent for a moment. "… Princess, pardon my ill manners, but I think I should be moving there quickly. Their drug exchanges occur every Tuesday at dark, and tonight is-"

"Understood," Zelda interrupted as she turned on her heel to face him. "Link, if you don't mind me asking, I'd like you to take me there. I don't leave the castle much and you would prove to be an excellent guide and bodyguard." Without approval, she began to pass him by on their adventure, the knight taken aback and staring at her with mouth agape.

"Listen! It isn't safe down there for someone as delicate as you!"

The princess whipped around and tossed him a deadly glare, accompanied by a scowl.

Link fell into an immediate bow and kneel, apologizing with his hand thrown over his heart in courtesy. "Let me rephrase; I just don't want you getting hurt. There might be a moment when I won't be able to protect you. I don't feel comfortable with taking that risk, is all."

Zelda smiled gratefully at the knight's impulse to protect. She placed a dainty hand on his shoulder, allowing him to rise. "I'm not any weak, defenseless girl. I train on a daily basis in archery. Besides, I wouldn't ask you to do anything if I didn't think you couldn't handle it. That's why you're Hyrule's head knight, and that's why I'm asking you to protect me as we travel to the West Gate."

Link's eyes flickered and a sudden warmth overcame him. He nodded and followed the princess out of the room.

xXx

A carriage took them from Hyrule Castle to the edge of West Castle Town, but refused to go any further due to the area's crime rate. Thankfully, Link would be able to easily guide the two of them to their destination, but hopefully they wouldn't be approached.

Link's leather boot planted firmly on the familiar cobblestone as he stepped out of the wooden carriage. He turned to face Zelda and held a lending hand to her, which she gladly took to help herself down. The carriage sped away as quickly as it could with dust flying in the air as it departed, a disgusting smoke filling the air. However, the smoke wasn't near as disgusting as the stench.

Zelda was swift to pinch her nose shut. "This place looks so nice from my castle. How awful that the citizens are forced to live in a wreck like this!" She sorrowed, her eyes gazing around at the filth.

"Don't feel bad for anyone here," Link silently replied, already moving forward. "These people did this to themselves. Now stay close."

Princess Zelda practically glued to his back. She kept her freehand close to her hip where her bow and arrow lay, just in case she had to use her weapon, not that she would ever shoot one of her civilians. Her weapons were merely for show to scare someone off. Link, on the other hand, would do anything to protect her. The princess would be sure to warn anyone away, and she would have to tell Link not to kill them, either.

Against the walls of the falling town were numerous bystanders. Many of them were sickly and weak, while there was a rare handful that had built up some muscle. Those were the ones that Link had to watch out for. They were constantly sizing him up for competition, wondering if they could take him. But it would be a mistake to try to take on someone of Link's rank. If one of them so much as moved an inch forward, Link could easily strike them. That's why he already had his sword and shield in hand, prepared to defend at any moment. Almost every few seconds, the knight was glancing to see if the princess was still trailing behind, although he never had to look considering she was always touching him, not to mention that she was also breathing fairly hard. She must have been afraid.

It wasn't long before the two of them managed to move into wider streets, giving them the room they needed. The walls were also much emptier where they were, allowing them to be at a slighter ease. Unfortunately, it was much darker where they were. "We're almost there," Link assured as he looked back at her again. Just looking at each other's faces comforted them in a place like this.

And as if on cue, they could see the enormous street lamps sitting symmetrically above the West Gate, granting it the most light compared to the rest of the town. And there sitting in the light was none other than a man with silver hair. One side was tucked neatly behind his grey, pointed ear accompanied by a dangling earring, while the other side of his hair hung over his eye and brushed against his pale chin. He wore a long, crimson cape that was dirtied by the crudeness of nature, and his white boots were scuffed with dirt. His tired eyes matched his ill attire, but the rest of his appearance was nothing compared to his heavy smile. A snake-like tongue wriggled its way around his lips, scraping against his razor sharp teeth. "Took you quite a bit, this time, doctor. I was growing impatient."

Link and Zelda realized that this character still couldn't see them, for they hadn't even stepped into the torch light yet and were still blanketed in darkness.

The seller cocked his head in confusion, his grin disappearing, and he strained to see through the darkness. "You brought a friend with you? I didn't agree to this…" He took a step forward, examining his customer. "Strange. You also seem much taller than how I remember you." A sword unexpectedly appeared in his hand like magic, and the dealer's eyes narrowed and his voice lowered. "Who are you?"

Link calmly walked into the light, tightly gripping onto his sword and the hilt of his shield. "Do you know Doctor Borville, the man you've been selling to every Tuesday night?" He swung the blade in his hand, showing off how easily he could wield his sword. "Well, I have some news for you. He finally perished earlier this evening due to a drug that you've been selling. Now you have ten seconds to tell me-"

"-forgive him!" Zelda suddenly shouted, moving around Link and stepping in front of him, also catching him off guard. "He's dense and he's tired. I am Malon and this is Talon. We're looking for the provider of Skulltula Venom. I was hoping to purchase some, possibly from you? I hear it's a good remedy."

The man cocked an eyebrow and lifted his head as he stuck his blade through the impenetrable cobblestone and leaned on his sword. "A remedy for what, shall I inquiry?"

Zelda opened her mouth to speak, but was instantly interrupted.

"Don't think of me as so gullible, princess. Your innocent eyes give you away, not to mention that you're not even clothed in a proper disguise." The wide grin stretched across his face once more, baring his teeth again. He fell into a deep bow and stood up straight again, resting his sword on his shoulder. "Forgive me for not properly introducing myself. You may call me Lord Ghirahim, the provider's right hand man. And who, might I ask, is that scary man behind you?" He leaned over to get a better look at Link and licked at his lips.

Link suddenly barged around Zelda, now taking the lead. "Enough of this nonsense. I have all of the information I need. Take me to the provider of Twinrova immediately!" He pointed his blade at the grey-colored demon, and a flash of light hit his sword.

Ghirahim let a light chuckle escape his lungs before raising his sword and smacking it back down onto the ground. "Amusing. Unfortunately, I can't give you the whereabouts of my master." His foot began to slide behind him, preparing himself to dash forward. "You better tell your little princess to stand back. She might get hurt if she gets too close."

Link nodded his head for Zelda to move back, and she obediently did so. The hero looked this enemy up and down. Due to the man's small size and tall stature, it was predicted that this being would have incredible speed. His stance was strange, though. And the way he held his sword was unfamiliar as well. Perhaps Link would have to adapt to this fighting style. Link had never lost a battle, so he didn't have much to worry about. He only feared that if something else came to attack Zelda while he was fighting, he wouldn't be able to protect her. If anything, he would just have to make this as fast as possible.

Ghirahim suddenly started into a jolt so fast that Link almost didn't raise his shield in time. The impact of the demon's sword was so hard that the knight lost his footing and almost stumbled backwards. Another blow was thrown towards Link, this time blocked with his sword. He shoved Ghirahim off of his blade and now threw his sword towards the enemy, taking a confident step forward. He constantly struck his sword towards the demon, slashing sideways and up and down in an attempt to mark his prey. Unfortunately, this monster was far too quick and managed to block every attack.

The silver haired man grew tired of this folly play, realizing he was getting nowhere. He lifted his foot and kicked on Link's shield, pushing the Hylian back a ways. The two of them let out a threatening scream as they charged each other once more, clashing their swords against each other. It soon became a test of strength, shoving against each other with all of the force they carried. Ghirahim, having the advantage in size, began to push the little fool down, Link's knees giving out on him in the awkward position. Link, however, was not one to give up. He let out a heavy grunt and forced his way back up and forward, keeping eye contact with the demon. He snarled at Ghirahim, and the grey creature who was previously laughing was now masking a look of fear. If he didn't move, then this absurd child would knock him down and have his head!

Lord Ghirahim jumped backwards and watched as Link stumbled forwards, having nothing to balance against. However, the lack of equal force against each other caused them both to fall; Ghirahim on his back and Link on his knees. The knight grabbed Ghirahim's ankle and dragged the frail beast next to him, but the demon took a sudden hold to Link's hair and slammed his forehead to the solid ground, the boy letting out a small cry. In a panic, the demon rolled aside and sprung to his feet. He lifted his foot and kicked Link in the back with his heel, knocking him fully to the ground. Before he could land another intense attack, the hero swiftly rolled out of the way and onto his back.

He now had a clear view of Ghirahim who stood over him with confidence. The lord lifted his foot in the air to strike yet again, but Link brought his trusty sword up and met the bottom of Ghirahim's foot with his blade, piercing through to the top. The monster let out a chilling scream and tried to free his foot, but he was now at the command of Link's weapon. The hero yanked it forward, causing Ghirahim to fall right on his back. Link drew his sword from the enemy's foot and stood up straight, now standing over the curling demon.

All the while, Zelda silently stood in the sidelines, watching Link mercilessly ruin his attacker.

The knight swept his sword through the air once, splashing some of the blood away. He then grabbed Ghirahim by the bangs and lifted him closer to his face with his sword pointed at the animal's throat, the tip slightly digging into his neck. "So," Link heavily breathed, ashamed to admit that the battle had worn him out, "am I going to have to kill you, or are you going to take me to your little master?"

"Link," Zelda winced as she raced to where they stood in the center of the street light. "Your head is bleeding."

The knight hadn't noticed the pain until he watched a drip of his own blood fall onto Ghirahim's chest. He had blacked out through most of the fight like he did with every fight, so it was difficult to recall how this happened, although he remembered being lightheaded through the end of it.

"So you have a little head injury?" Ghirahim coughed, the pointed blade lightly choking him. "I won't even be able to properly walk for the remainder of my life."

"There won't be a remainder of your life if you don't tell me where the drug house is!" Link snarled again, finally poking at Ghirahim's neck. A drop of red liquid rolled down the side of his neck and dripped onto the surface.

Zelda bit her lip. "Stop."

Link's eyes flickered as he jerked his head to look at Zelda. Although he was hesitant, he obeyed her orders and dropped his victim. Zelda took the lead and began to walk away with Link loyally following behind.

Lord Ghirahim fell to the ground with a thud and immediately sat up so he could caress his wounded foot. The thick, red paste flowed like a stream and puddled the floor around him, staining his white clothes. But even worse than his tainted appearance, the pain shot up his leg like thousands of tiny needles, and yet it also ached. He let out small, childish whimpers as he tried to prevent the blood flow, but there would be almost nothing to stop this. "So what?" He hissed. "That's it? Are you just going to leave me to die?"

"We must find the provider," Zelda replied, her voice faint, not turning to face him as she continued on.

The demon felt overwhelmed with panic. He hastily scooted around to face their backs that were disappearing in the darkness, a desperate bloodied hand reaching forward for their help. "Wait! Perhaps I can take you!"

The two of them came to a sudden stop, ears open.

"I won't be able to reach the drug house on my own like this, and I'll die before I can drag my delicate body all the way there. If you carry me, then I'll be happy to take you. However, I can't promise that the provider will be there. He goes in and out of that place a lot, but most of the time he's out doing business."

Both of them turned to face the pathetic demon, and Link began to close in on the creature. "So where are we going? And be prepared to talk a lot, because you have a lot of questions to answer."

Ghirahim let out a deep and heavy sigh as Link aggressively threw the animal over his shoulder. The three of them began to tread out into the darkness, heading for the drug house.

* * *

**Doctor Borville was from Twilight Princess, in case you couldn't remember what he looked like. Thank you for reading! I promise there will be much more action and suspense later on.**


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter II

Along the way, Link and Zelda learned that the drug provider's name was Ganondorf. He was previously a doctor who studied medicine back in a vast desert called Gerudo Valley, but he was exiled for experimenting on some of the women. His partners were twin witches, but no one exactly knew who they were because the two of them kept so quiet. They were Ganondorf's benders who spent countless hours mixing potions and serums to make those immoral drugs. In exchange, they were given a place to stay. Ganondorf desired to rule over a kingdom that he could infest with ill power, which was why he journeyed to Hyrule. His desire was to eventually scare everyone into following him, and so far it seemed to be working. Ghirahim, along with one other dealer known as Zant, declared this evil king to be his master after being entranced by his works, which resulted in his career as a dealer. Now they're disrupting Hyrule's peaceful habitat.

Ghirahim lead them into a dark alleyway, which fortunately lacked people. The building's walls were stained with blood and dirt, as if it hadn't been rained on in ages, much less cleaned. There was a small staircase that lead up to the rusted door accompanied by one rail standing up and the other twisted on the floor. Perhaps there was a fight not too long ago. The windows were boarded up from the inside to prevent dwellers from peeking inside, but there were a few gaps to peer through. However, it wasn't too hard to guess what was going on thanks to the loud commotion coming from the inside. Music, laughter, chatter. There was no doubt of illegal activity going on in there. Hopefully they would be able to easily find their man behind that door.

Link let Ghirahim slip off of his shoulder and land on the rough stairs with a thud. The demon had lost a lot of his blood and was growing pale. For now, Link didn't know what to do with him. He would have preferred that the creature not live, considering he was a part of the entire drug business, but the dealer's sentence would be up to Zelda.

The knight looked back at Zelda, who stood patiently waiting for commands. "I want you to stay out here," Link begged her.

The princess cocked an eyebrow up in disapproval. "What if you require my assistance? I asked you to guide me through town so that I could aid you on this quest. I don't want to be your second hand man."

"Listen, I need you to stay out here with Ghirahim. It will be easy. I'll go inside and arrest the provider – if he's even here," Link retorted with his chest confidently pushed out.

Zelda frowned and bit the inside of her cheek. She wasn't one to follow orders. "You're just one guy. Who knows how many followers Ganondorf has in there? You're going to need backup. You could hardly take on this one man without getting injured."

Link touched the scar on his head given to him by Ghirahim. It wasn't a life threatening wound. It merely stung slightly, and he was far from feeling light headed from it. He finally wiped away some of the dry blood from his face with his sleeve. "Then do me two favors. Make sure this guy doesn't slip away," he demanded, pointing to Ghirahim sprawled on the staircase, "and make sure no one comes in. I don't need any more trouble than there is bound to be in there."

The princess felt hot with denial. She simply shook her head and readied her bow and arrow. "If you're not out of there within an hour, I'm coming in after you."

Link smothered a bashful snicker with the back of his hand. "I appreciate that, but there's no need. Give me 30 minutes and neither of us will have anything to worry about." With that, Link turned on his heel and darted up the stairs, his leather glove immediately touching the steel door handle.

Ghirahim suddenly sped his frail arm towards Link and grabbed tightly onto his ankle. A deep snarl fell from his curled, pale lips. "So you're just… going to leave me out here to rot…? I need medicine!" His voice was weak and he was lightheaded from the amount of blood loss he suffered.

Link gazed back at Zelda and gave her the silent eye-to-eye exchange of '_you handle it_,' which obviously made the princess silently pout with objection. Pushing that aside, the knight tore his ankle from the demon's slacking grip and made his way inside, the rusted door creaking when opening and closing.

Zelda now made an audible huff and childishly crossed her arms. "There's no way I'm just going to stand here. Link will definitely be able to handle himself. Come on, Ghirahim. You're going to take me to the other dealer."

It took all of the demon's effort to push himself into a sitting position. "I'm not… going anywhere."

Zelda creased her eyebrows into frustration. In the blink of an eye, she had her bow and arrow pointed at Ghirahim's nose, prepared to release at any moment. "Take me to the other dealer or I'll have your blood spread across the staircase right now."

"You don't understand," Ghirahim lightly growled, becoming weaker with the thought of his injury. "I've lost so much blood… that I don't have the energy, much less the will… to stand." He gripped onto the guardrail as if he was going to pull himself up, but it was merely for support. "I'll either die by your hands here… or eventually die of blood loss... but otherwise, you're on your own."

The princess thought over this. She wasn't strong like Link, forcing people to do things against their will. Unlike him, she was reasonable. With a heavy sigh directed towards the heavens, Zelda reached into her pouch and pulled out a red potion. She approached the pale character and offered it to him with a comforting smile. "Here, drink this. It'll make you feel better."

Ghirahim studied the bottle for a moment, taken aback by its rich strawberry color. "What is it?"

"It's red chuchu jelly. It will seal your wound and take some of the pain away." She lifted the glass bottle to his lips, hoping that he would drink it willingly.

The demon was hesitant about drinking it, but by no means was he ready to die. He eagerly let the cool potion slide down his throat and he could immediately feel himself being regenerated. His eyes lit up with life, the stabbing pain in his foot disappearing. "Wow, what a potion! I feel better already! I can't understand why you didn't offer any to your friend when he was injured!"

Zelda simply giggled and returned the half-empty bottle to her satchel. "That boy is so stubborn he wouldn't drink a drop if I offered."

"Or maybe it's poison? Maybe it's like the skulltula venom and I'm about to grow an extra arm," Lord Ghirahim growled, immediately rising to his feet in deplore. Unfortunately, there was still a lingering pain in his foot that caused him to return to his knees. "You lied! I knew it! You said it would heal me."

Zelda caught him quickly, throwing his arm around her shoulder to help him stand. "We don't mix poisons or anything like that. Maybe chuchu jelly doesn't heal anyone as quickly as that skulltula venom, but it eventually gets the job done without any side effects. We're still working on it, though. Chuchu jelly doesn't reanimate bone material – or honestly anything that's broken and can't be surgically healed. It only heals blood wounds, such as the slice in your foot. But Link pierced through your bone as well. That's probably the pain you're still feeling."

Ghirahim thought all of this through, nodding with every statement. "This chuchu jelly is handy to a certain extent. And you trust me enough to offer me half of that?"

"I admit that I feel uneasy," she hummed, now starting the two of them into a walk, "but I'll be able to defeat you in this state if you try anything absent-minded."

A teasing smirk rang in Ghirahim's ears given to him by the princess, but he couldn't help but chuckle as well. "I'm not going to try anything, so no need to worry. I'm too tired. I just want to help you find the other dealer and be done with it."

The princess only blinked in response. She didn't expect him to actually help her, but that appeared to be the case, or so she assumed. With that, she remained silent as the demon gave her directions to her desired destination.

xXx

Link looked about the drughouse he stood in. The inside was filled with a crimson atmosphere. There were candles and torches and lamps lit all around the area. Countless tables filled the room; large, gruesome men filled their chairs, and heavy glasses of repulsive liquor filled their throats and dribbled down their chins. The music was so piercing that it was difficult to comprehend any conversation going around, not that the amplified chatter was anything sensible anyway. At the back of the long room was a door, suspiciously blocked by a table. Perhaps Ganondorf was hidden inside that room, but Link figured it would be best to ask around beforehand. To the right was a number of men who held instruments in their hands, the source of the music. To the left was a bar, and where there was a bar there was someone working there, and whoever worked here most likely worked for Ganondorf. They would be bound to know of his whereabouts.

The knight approached the bar that was accompanied by nothing but empty seats. Link touched his cotton trousers to the leather-torn seats and placed his arms firmly on the wooden countertop. It was stained with the smell of burning alcohol, much to the hero's distaste, who wrinkled his nose. There was a door behind the counter as well, but it wasn't blocked like the other one. Behind the counter was a dark-colored woman with a hunched back who stood in tattered clothes. Her bloodshot eyes looked as if they could pop out of her tiny skull at any moment, but they were nothing compared to the size of her gargantuan bird nose. When she opened her wrinkled lips to speak, the stench slipping from her three rotten teeth made Link want to gag. "How might I be of assistance, traveler?"

Link shivered at the sound of her voice that scraped against his ears like nails, but quickly brushed it away. "I'm looking for someone. Considering you work here, I think you'll be able to help me." Link leaned in forward to whisper to her, and the woman leaned forward as well as if to humor the hero. "I'm looking for a man named Ganondorf. He runs this place, according to one of his dealers."

The woman's bulging eyes narrowed with amusement and she couldn't help but chuckle. "So, you've caught the cat, have you? Well, there's not much I can tell you, actually." She leaned away from the counter top and placed her bony fingers on her edge of the bar. "He drops by every now and then, but he mainly likes to venture out in the night. Stirring trouble, I presume." The old woman's lips curled back with her devious smile as she tapped her overgrown nails on the surface. "Why would anyone as handsome as you be after such an appalling man?"

Oddly, the knight couldn't tear his attention away from the glimmering red ruby on her forehead. Perhaps it was costume to match the atmosphere, but it definitely caught his attention. "That's none of your concern," he huffed, studying the jewel. It glowed as bright as fire, and all that Link could do in the moment was recall the burning doctor earlier that evening.

"Here," the woman sang as she pushed a glass towards the hero. "You seem awfully troubled. Maybe this can relax your nerves?"

Link immediately retaliated and shoved it away, some of the blue liquid spilling from the top. "No, thank you. I don't drink." His eyes fell again to the door in the back. "You don't happen to know what's in that room back there, do you?"

"People who don't drink lack courage," the old woman hummed, ignoring Link's inquiry. "It's merely a beverage. One won't hurt. You're dressed in a knight's tunic. You don't lack courage, do you?"

Link lifted an eyebrow at this folly play. "It's not that I lack courage," he childishly pouted, a tint of blush sparking his cheeks. This woman had most certainly found his soft spot. "I just don't like the taste, is all."

"So then, you're weak? If you can't handle a little bit of spice, then what are you doing here?"

"I'm looking for someone! I've told you already," he practically shouted.

The old hag's smirk stretched from cheek to cheek, making the wrinkles painfully apparent on her face. "I promise if you drink this, then you'll find whoever you're looking for." She pushed the glass back to the knight's side of the table, nearly touching his chest.

Link studied the bubbling drink for a moment, watching the steam flow down the sides of the mug. "I'm not so sure…"

Again the woman behind the bar hissed a giggle. "Maybe I'll tell you some things once you finish your glass?"

Link narrowed his eyes as he took the icy rim in his fingertips, slightly turning it on the table. "How do I know this isn't poison?"

Now the woman threw her head back and bellowed in laughter before slamming her hands back on the table. She gently took the glass in her hands and lifted it above her wrinkled lips, letting a little of the liquid fall into her throat. The elder then returned the glass to Link with wink. "See, I'm fine! How about now, hero? Still scared of a little liquor? It won't kill you, and it's not enough to daze you. So what's the matter?"

Link bit the inside of his lip. He was never one to fall into others' bad habits. However, he was in desperate need of that information. The knight's hand began to feel hot with sweat as he took the glass in his hand and lifted it to his soft lips. A deep breath fell before he began to swallow the cerulean liquid. The sensation immediately burned his throat; he gagged and was inclined to sputter it all out until the old woman behind the bar tipped on the bottom of the glass, pushing his head back and making him drink faster.

"You're not going to let a little drink defeat you?" The woman whistled, "There you go. That's a good boy."

As soon as the last drop hit his tongue, Link slammed the drink onto the table. Some of the oozing liquid ran down his chin and neck, making him feel just as dirty as the rest of the men in the bar. However, he couldn't help but feel slightly content with himself for having consumed a whole mug's worth of liquor. Nonetheless, he still wiped the liquid from his face. Now was time for business. "Alright, I drank your filth. Now tell me where Ganondorf is!"

A light chuckle fell from the old woman that followed with a hum. "You would like to know, wouldn't you?"

The door behind the counter suddenly burst open, and a woman who exactly resembled the woman behind the bar stuck her nose into the pub. The only difference was their attire, for the woman from behind the door was marked with a blue stone on her forehead instead of red. "Koume! Are you going to sit there and swoon over customers or are you going to help me craft this serum!"

Koume turned on her heel to face the bewildered woman. "I'm coming Kotake! A moment is all I ask!"

Link's eyes constricted in realization. These must have been the twin witches that Ghirahim was implying. It all made sense, a drug called Twinrova crafted by twins who held the elements of fire and ice on their headstones. These two women were the suppliers, the crafters. If he got rid of them, then the production of their ill drug would come to an end and the only thing he would have to worry about is the provider and the remainder of the drug stash.

As if it were impulsive instinct, Link drew his sword from the sheath on his backside and leapt over the countertop, knocking down the stool behind himself and some of the drinks on top. He then stuck his silver blade between Koume's shoulder blades and tore it away in an instant. The old woman howled with pain while thick blood gushed down her backside. The intensity of the cry was so piercing that it was audible over the music and laughter in the drughouse. Just about everyone who still had their senses quietly turned to the commotion. Even the musicians stopped in the middle of their playing to turn their undivided attention to the scene. Their eyes grew wide with incomprehensible fear at the sight, most of them never having seen such a violent occurrence.

Koume's knees immediately grew weak before she could stand no longer and collapsed on the hard floor, her last breath slipping into the air in the midst of a light seizure. A cold shiver ran down Kotake's spine. Her eyes wildly flickered with trepidation, afraid for her own life. As soon as she began to move back into the room, Link darted forward and gripped tightly on her colossal nose, forcing her to face him. "Tell me now were Ganondorf is or I'll have the same to you!" The furious knight demanded, holding the blade to her muzzle as she pleaded for her life.

"Ah, ah, ah! That won't be necessary," a voice in the background teased. Link turned his eyes to look at a man sitting in a corner. He had his arm resting on the back of the chair and his crossed legs sitting neatly on the table before him. Whispers were exchanged as the man began to stand from his seat. Like the twins, this man's skin was dark, and his lengthy hair was a deep shade of rose. His black armor shimmered in the lamp light, but not as luminescent as his golden eyes. The beast took long, heavy steps towards the two, his wriggling hand suddenly curling into a ball. "I know who you are," he hissed through an almost unnoticeable smile. "You're that knight that Zelda picked off the streets. How uncanny; I, too, worked my way up to fame. Strange that we would meet like this."

Link kept his eyes locked with this man, holding his tongue.

"My name is Ganondorf, the provider to all of my dealers, although I'm limited to only two as of now. Even more of a dilemma is that you've spread bloodshed across one of my suppliers. Are you au fait of the difficulty that brings to my production? You are quite the mutinous. Now the overworked Kotake will have to put forth twice the labor to please the consumers' needs." The dark power stopped at the other side of the bar as he tossed a playful glare to the old woman, who shivered viciously in Link's grip, not sure who to fear more.

Link breathed silently through his nose, although his teeth were bared. If he allowed Kotake to live, then the spread of Twinrova would continue. In retort, Link as fast as lightning jammed the blade up the old woman's large nostril and dinged the bottom of her skull with the tip. Dark, red liquid spilled from her nose and she violently flailed her arms to free herself as Link forced his sword through the thick cranium, the sound of the crack echoing throughout the drughouse. He shoved the sword all the way out of the top of her skull, blood pouring like rain out of her eyes. It was gruesome, but he had to make sure she was dead. Some of the men in the back gasped or screamed, and many who did so ran out of the door as quickly as their legs could take them, loudly slamming the door shut behind themselves. As quick as that, Link drew his sword from her nose. Kotake fell as swiftly to the floor as Koume did.

Now Ganondorf was furious, yet he didn't care enough to have saved either one of his witches or lose his cool nature, although a deep crease of disapproval formed under his nose. "No matter. I'll just have to find other crafters. You, on the other hand, will have to be punished." His menacing grin returned to his face as he tore his eyes away from the deceased witches lying side by side. Now he locked his golden gaze on Link. "Conveniently, you consumed an ample amount of blue tektite blood combined with octorok saliva; possibly some deku baba juice, as well. I don't think you'll be very truculent if I ask you to come with me into the back room, will you?"

Now it was Link who was trembling in fear, wondering what the drink possibly did to him. He didn't feel like anything was happening to him. The knight tightly gripped the hilt of his sword and walked around the counter, keeping sure to have his eyes never tearing away from the beast. "What's going to happen to me?" He asked, sounding much less fierce than he desired.

Ganondorf didn't reply. He merely held his mocking gaze as he took seat in one of the tarnished stools, relaxing for a show that was sure to come. A hand lifted in the air, encouraging the small orchestra to continue playing. Although they shivered in fear, they remained obedient, fearful of what the man would to do them if they refused.

Link's breathing grew unusually heavy, and his hands began to tremble and sweat even greater than before, barely able to hold onto his sword. What was going on? His head suddenly became light, and everything began to spin; was it the room spinning, or was it him? No – it was as if everything was moving away from him, yet everything was moving in closer as well, practically constricting him. His eyes couldn't focus on just one thing; he saw all of the colors and details at once. Not only that, but he couldn't focus on just one sound, either. Every instrument playing was identical in amplification, none louder than the other; it didn't even sound like music anymore. He could even hear voices, but he couldn't make anything out. Was anyone even speaking? Link tried to say something to make sure that he could still hear his own voice, but everything he spoke was slurred, and he wasn't even certain of what he was trying to say to begin with.

That was it – he had to get out of there. Link tried to walk, but his numb foot would barely lift off of the ground. He used all of his willpower to take a step forward, nearly tripping over the flat surface. He jabbed his sword into the floor and balanced himself, hardly being able to stand. Where was the door, even? He could only see one on the far other side of the room, but there were so many obstacles in the way. There was another door, wasn't there? Link's head trembled as he turned to look behind himself. And there it was, two of them, three. The door kept splitting up and returning to itself. Link blinked over and over, trying to take control of his vision.

He now fully turned to face the door, still using his sword as support, and moved towards his destination. His body swayed from side to side and his feet nearly tripped over each other in an odd attempt to stay upright, but it almost didn't seem to be working. It felt as if gravity was dragging him down. Link slammed his shoulder against the door, fearful that he would fall if he didn't balance himself against a sturdy object. The touch of another object made his entire body tingle with a weird sensation. His previously heavy breathing was now turning into quick paced gasps. He had to leave quickly. His violently quivering fingers reached for the door handle and tugged on it, but for some reason, the door wasn't opening. Was this even a door, or just an illusion? Link's quick blinking was growing slower. His body was freezing, yet he was sweating. If he couldn't open the door than what was the use in trying? Maybe this door was dysfunctional. Perhaps the other door would open? But it was so far away.

Link momentarily closed his eyes. Why was time taking so long? Zelda would come to help him soon. She said 30 minutes, but he told her an hour. Had it even been 30 minutes yet? Was it even close? He wished now that Zelda came inside with him. Why did he push her away? She was just on the other side of the door. Maybe if he screamed, she would come to him. But when he barely parted his lips, no sound left except for his wheezing gasps. Maybe Link wasn't the problem. Maybe it was Zelda. Maybe she was stuck. Maybe, just maybe, Link could ram down the door.

The knight immediately shoved away from the door to follow through with his plan, but as soon as he left the structure he lost balance and began to fall backwards, yet it felt as if he were slowly floating. As if on cue, he fell right into the soft arms of a savior. Whose arms they were didn't matter. Link couldn't think straight anymore anyway. Now for sure everything was spinning. He could only make out the silhouette of a large man. Or maybe it was Zelda?

Ganondorf lifted the limp boy off of his feet, horribly amused by this play. No one dared to say a word as the king carried the dangling prey into the back room. Most of them knew what was back there, having experienced the fright. They had gone back there because they did something wrong, but Link had ruined this man out of his business, at least temporarily until he found new crafters. The knight would experience tenfold of what they felt, maybe even perish. Whatever would happen to him, the people of the drughouse didn't desire to know. They all turned away as Ganondorf kicked aside the table blocking the back door. He then disappeared into the darkness, the door closing behind the two.


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter III

As the silent night crept forward, the moon became less generous with its vibrancy, the street lamps being the traveler's only source of light. Like the moon and its companion stars, the dark children of the streets were slowly dispersing as well. But unlike the criminals who were quick to move, Ghirahim was lagging. Zelda kept the kind demon tightly around her shoulder, making sure he wouldn't fall – or fall behind, that is. "You're certain the felon is still out this late?" Zelda would constantly ask, and Ghirahim would traditionally offer his positive response. However, the princess was growing more and more apprehensive. Was he even leading her in the right direction? How did she know she wasn't being lead to an ambush? Or that Ghirahim was just waiting until he healed and then he would attack her? Zelda kept in mind of the bow and arrow by her side. Hopefully it wouldn't be too difficult to reach while supporting the beast.

"So," Zelda started after a while, dreading the silence. "What desires compelled you to be a servant to a filthy drug lord?"

"Don't you think that question is rather straightforward?" Ghirahim pouted, slightly offended. Zelda didn't retort to that inquiry, so the demon replied with a sigh. "I was tired of living on the streets, is all. It's difficult to find a place to stay when everyone is constantly kicking you out. In West Castle Town, we fight for food and shelter. My master, Ganondorf, offered me a home as long as I obliged to his work. He's much more of a god to any of us than you are, the princess who rules over Hyrule, who houses all this money yet can't afford to aid the fallen part of the kingdom."

Zelda was silent for a moment, realizing he his words were true. "It's not that I abandoned this town; after all, I'm on a frenzied search to stop the widespread of a life-threatening drug. It's merely that I had no awareness of the misfortunes reigning in this part of the town." A soft smile creased on her rosy, porcelain lips. "I promise that once this mess is over, I'll have everything settled and make this a peaceful part of town once more."

Now it was Ghirahim's turn to hold his tongue. He was having trouble keeping up with the quick-paced princess, so he forced her to slow down by dragging behind. "I would like that very much for these people, but what's to come after all of this is over? When Ganondorf is gone, I'll have no purpose, whether it be selling his products or simply finding a place to sleep night by night."

"Enough with all that sorrow," Zelda cheered, finally coming to a stop, assuming he was falling tired. She sat him down against one of the brick walls underneath one of the torch lights, warmth emitting from its blaze. "You know more about West Castle Town than I do. How about when all of this is done for you can help me? That is, if you behave yourself!" She waved her finger and flaunted a comforting wink in his direction.

Ghirahim gazed up at her with a look of puzzlement. The light illuminating behind her almost made the princess look like a goddess herself, the brilliance grazing her tender skin, reflecting against her armor, lustering her golden hair, shimmering her cerulean eyes. A sense of gratitude overwhelmed him with warmth stronger than the essence from the torch. "Why… why would you want to help someone like me?"

A giggle escaped the princess' lips, which was shielded by her hand. "Isn't a princess supposed to help every living creature in her kingdom? Besides, I picked Link off of the streets knowing he had good intentions, and he turned out just fine. I'm sure you're no different. If I'm going to help this place, then I need someone with experience to help me!" She suddenly aggressively placed her hands on her hips, masking a stern expression over her face. "But don't think that you can get away with anything once being in service to the princess! Deny me and you'll _wish_ you were back scavenging on the streets!"

Ghirahim lightly snickered and twitched an eyebrow. "Ganondorf would severely beat me if I disobeyed him." He started to force himself back to a stand, the princess quickly coming to his aid.

"Well, I don't see a scratch on you, so you must be a decent servant," she cooed with a gentle grin. "Does this mean you'll help me?"

Now the demon returned the smile, his eyes reflecting hers with delight. Ganondorf would have his head if he heard about this, but he was well aware of Zelda's community. They would do anything to protect him as long as he was in service to the goddess; and if he was going to be her servant, then he would do anything to protect her, too. "It would be my pleasure."

xXx

Link's eyes gently fluttered open, yet his vision was blurry. A weak cough slipped from his lips, the burn of the drink still stinging his throat. He couldn't particularly remember what happened while in the bar except that he had entered it and sipped that dastardly poison. What a mistake that was… Where was he now? He looked about the room, trying to focus as much as he could. So far, all he could make out were grey, brick walls. The walls were slightly spinning; perhaps he was still under the effects of the foul substance. Was he in a cellar? To his right was darkness; he couldn't make out anything in that corner if he tried. To the left was what looked to be a table with a bundle of supplies on it. Whatever they were, Link couldn't tell. A large man stood next to the table, silhouetted by the light. He was flicking a syringe with his finger.

The large man suddenly turned his head to look at Link. "Ah, so you're awake. Let's make it stay that way." He began to approach the dazed knight with the needle, the tip sparkling in the light.

Link's eyes lit up at the sight of it, so he instinctively tried to move away in defense, but for some odd reason his wrists and ankles were restrained. It appeared to be that he was sitting in a chair and he was tied down by heavy chains. A rush of fear surged through Link. Wherever he was, it was far from safe.

"Hold still," the man grunted. "I don't need this injection to be fatal."

Now Link was becoming more aware. This man's voice belonged to Ganondorf, along with the dark and dizzy silhouette. Link merely squirmed in his seat, not wanting to intake whatever was inside that syringe. Ganondorf took a handful of Link's hair and roughly cocked his head back, making it impossible to move away. His breathing became heavy as the needle grew near, and he let a quiet whimper escape as the point dug into his neck. Link swallowed hard, feeling this strange serum flow through his vein. His hands wriggled for freedom, but it did nothing for him.

"There. That should give you enough energy for the next three days passing." Ganondorf slipped the needle out of his neck and returned to the clustered table, throwing the empty syringe on top of the pile of junk.

Link was wide awake now, and he could see everything clearly, although he desired not to. Skulltula webs formed at the corners of the walls and there were a few stains of red here and there. Ropes and chains hung from the walls and fell to the floor, some accompanied by rust and others by fresh and old blood. The table was flooded with various knives and nails and pointed objects of many shapes and sizes, long and small syringes and needles, foreign potions and powders, cups and glasses, hammers and mallets and grinders, dirty rags, iron bars and wrenches and pliers, and much more that Link couldn't identify due to the overwhelmed cluster. However, the key that caught his eye was his pile of items in the far corner of the room; his shield, sword, handcuffs, some potions. It seemed like Ganondorf had taken everything that belonged to him, aside from his clothes.

Ganondorf leaned his thighs against the side of the table and picked up a particularly gleaming knife along with a rag. He began to casually wipe away any dust that might have harmed the blade, though none was there. "It's odd that someone like you would choose to return to these slumps. I only moved here merely a few months ago, but I've already heard a little about the princess' shining knight. Plucked from the streets, were you?" The beast held the silver dagger in the light. It was so clean that Link could see his own reflection from where he sat. His hair was messy and his eyes were tired, but what bothered him the most was the unusual fear slapped on his face. "I loathe this place. I wouldn't come back here, not even if it was an order.

I assume that's why you journeyed here," he continued, returning the knife and rag to the table. "Twinrova, correct? You wouldn't mercilessly murder two women for no reason, would you?" A devious smirk crossed over the demon's lips, and he bared some of his pointed teeth. "They were the only ones who held knowledge of the recipe for that drug; not even I knew it. How am I to replace them? Not only that, but the demand for it was at the top of the charts. I'll have to replace both my crafters and my drug with something else. My customers won't be happy about this." Now he lifted a hammer off of the table. Ganondorf slapped it once against the palm of his hand, testing the weight and durability. "Looks like you owe me, hero. What do you say? Care to make an exchange?"

Link refused to say a word.

"I'm only one man, but I don't have near the amount of power that I desire. The beloved Princess Zelda, however, could no doubt help me in my reign. You are her loyal and cherished knight. I'm sure she would listen to someone like you. Perhaps you could convince her to join me…?"

"She wouldn't join you no matter what!" Link spat, glaring at him coldly.

Ganondorf lifted his eyebrows, not by surprise, but by amusement. "Is that defiance I hear? With defiance comes punishment. I used to have to punish my dealers, but now they're fairly obedient. However, I might have to dispose of them soon. What's the use in having dealers if there's nothing to sell?" The king tossed the hammer in the air a few times and studied its frame. "I don't think you understand the intensity of my problem, knight. Those potion-brewing women came here from Gerudo Valley to help me craft my drugs. I don't have power here, but with Zelda at my side I could find all sorts of crafters. If you don't help me, then I'll have to use force."

Link's eyebrows creased into a fierce frustration and a deep scowl dug itself under his nose. "Don't you dare hurt her," he growled as he leaned forward in his seat.

The enemy now let out a bellowing laugh, his head thrown back as he held his stomach with his hand. "What would you do, stuck in a position like that? Besides, I couldn't even do so if I pleased. I can't enter the castle grounds without getting bombarded by soldiers. Hell, I can't even walk around my own streets without being stalked by night guards!" He fell silent for a moment, and the toying with the hammer came to a halt. He set the heavy tool back on the table and crossed over to Link's side. The beast fell to one knee and leaned in close to the knight, nearly breathing in his ear with a whisper, "Actually, I heard the two of you talking outside my door not too long ago. She was supposed to come to your rescue, wasn't she? Yet when I wandered outside, she was missing from my premises. You wouldn't happen to know where she went off to, would you?"

"I'm not telling you anything!" Link instinctively shouted in Zelda's defense. However, he realized that he had no idea where she was either, considering she wasn't standing outside of the drughouse's door, which drowned Link with newfound concern over her whereabouts. What if Ghirahim had overtaken her, or worse? Whatever happened, he couldn't do anything about it now if he tried.

"Is that so…" Ganondorf stood once again and moved to fully face Link from the front. He snarled at Link, who suddenly shivered in fear and clutched tightly onto the edge of the chair's arms, anticipating the worst. Ganondorf lifted his heavy, metal boot and slung it forward into the knight's ribs, impacting him so hard that the hero lost his wind. Link immediately sputtered in coughs, his body cringing forward as if that would help with the damage. "Look at me and tell me where she is!" The demon shouted, tightly clenching onto the knight's wrists.

Link's head was close to being tucked between his knees, trying his best to cope with the pain in his ribs. He was almost certain he heard a crack, but maybe it was just his imagination. "I don't know…" he coughed again.

Ganondorf lifted a sturdy hand and took a hold of Link's face, lifting him so that they could make eye contact. "First you say you won't tell me anything, and then you say you don't know? I wouldn't lie in a situation like this. It won't help you…" The beast released the hero who held his head low and returned to the table once more, studying the various equipment he collected. "What will it take to make you talk? Let's see…"

Link weakly lifted his head to gaze at Ganondorf. As soon as he caught his breath, he nearly lost it at the sight of rusted pliers. A steaming bead of sweat ran down the side of his face when Ganon stood in front of him again, gripping the weapon in his burly hand. Neither one of them exchanged words, not even when Ganondorf lifted the pliers above his head. Link tightly clenched his teeth as the steel pliers were heavily beat down against his cheek, turning his head to the side. Then the weapon came from the other side, striking him hard in the side of the head. Blood poured like a stream from Link's reopened wound on his head, but a nasty bruise was left on the knight's cheek.

Ganondorf played with the pliers like scissors, showing off their ability as he snipped the air. "You don't want me to have to rip one of your nails off with a pair of these, but I will if I have to. How about you tell me where your princess is now?"

Link swallowed hard, scared beyond comprehension of what was to come. He only hoped that Zelda wouldn't come back, or else she would face the same fate.

xXx

"He should be just around this corner," Ghirahim whispered as he and Zelda came to a stop close by a wide alleyway. They didn't dare step in its path just in case the second dealer was in its view, but they stood just at the edge to keep watch. "Stay here," the demon commanded. Zelda released the wounded as he moved away from her, limping around the corner on his own and leaning on the wall for support.

The dealer stood lonely in the alleyway as if he were waiting for someone, which he constantly was for customers. His expression was blocked by a large, pointed, stone helmet with a tongue for a mouth, but it was certain that his face would be smacked with slight astonishment and disturbance. "Lord Ghirahim? What brings you to this side of West Castle Town?" His head barely moved down to the floor, noticing Ghirahim's foot. "Ah, found yourself in a bit of a brawl. It's a shame that the master entrusted you with a task so small yet apparently so unmanageable. "

Ghirahim snickered in a feisty retort and shook his head. "Please, dearest Zant, I merely stumbled. I'm actually taken aback that you're still here. It's nearly dawn, isn't it?"

"Your point?" Zant stood with his feet planted solidly on the ground. Under his long sleeve that covered his hand was a hilt connected to a heavy, stone sword, the design on the blade matching his helmet. This demon wasn't one to play games. Instead, he abided by his master's every order, even if it meant staying out in the late night for endless hours, or even giving his life.

Ghirahim closed in on the warrior, offering a benign smile to the man before him. "My, my! No need to be rude. I'm merely making friendly conversation. However, I actually had something to discuss with you."

Zant was quickly growing impatient like he always did. "What is it? It's nearly sunrise, and the two of us will have to return to the drughouse to show our profits to the master. We'll displease him if we're late. The two of us can discuss it on the way." Zant began to pass by, but Lord Ghirahim was quick to wield his sword, aiming it in the middle of the enemy's chest. Zant was as still as stone, hissing silently towards the grey-haired demon. "What is all of this about?"

"I need you to come with me," Ghirahim cooed with a sly grin.

"And if I refuse?"

The demon barely tapped the tip of the sword against Zant's chest as if trying to aggravate him. "There will be no refusal, even if you choose to perish. I've chosen a different path, and if you cooperate, maybe you can join us."

"Join us?" Zant took a step back, but Ghirahim only moved forward for precautions. "So… you've chosen to abandon the master even after all of the charity and generosity he has bestowed upon you? How pathetic. Who, might I ask, shall you be joining?"

"He'll be joining me," the princess spoke as she revealed herself from behind the wall. She held her bow and arrow firmly in her hands, ready to shoot at any moment. "Princess Zelda, ruler of Hyrule."

Ghirahim bit his lip; there went his style. "I thought I told you to stay back," he growled, gripping tighter on the sword.

"I do believe you said you were _my_ servant, didn't you? So you'll be following _my_ orders, although I do appreciate the precaution." Zelda never tore her eyes away from Zant, studying his body. He looked to be a skilled fighter, but hopefully his heavy armor would make him a slow target.

"I'm growing tired of this folly play," Zant sibilated. He turned his sword and suddenly thrashed it into the air, knocking Ghirahim's out of the way. "You must be punished for defying the master! He'll be more than pleased to hear of your parting!" Zant swung his heavy blade forward, but Ghirahim was quick to move out of the way. The sword was so heavy that it stuck itself firmly into the brick wall, providing as difficult for it to be removed.

With a clear shot, Zelda aimed her weapon towards the enemy and released the arrow, letting it speed through the air for its target. Zant was barely fast enough to release his weapon and block the wooden arrow, the small stick snapping in half. As soon as the pieces hit the ground, Ghirahim was back on Zant. The demon ripped his blade through the air in an attempt to slice at the enemy, but he only managed to nick the edge of his mask. Zant lifted his foot and swiftly kicked Ghirahim in the pelvis, knocking him into the wall. He then held his stone sword above his head to strike down on Ghirahim, but an arrow suddenly implanted itself in the enemy's side. Zant let out a small whine and grabbed at the wound and snapped the arrow and threw the excess material on the ground. All that remained was the head buried in his side.

Zant now turned to Zelda, making her his next target. With a vengeful scream, he raced for her with his sword in front of him like a shield. Zelda tried her best to shoot at his feet, but every shot was a misfire. The princess held her breath as the monster approached her. Soon, he was just in front of the princess. Zant tackled her in the chest with his shoulder, shoving the delicate doll onto the hard pavement. She let out a wince and nearly dropped her bow and arrow. By the time she recollected her weapons, Zant was close to striking her in the head with his stone sword. With not a moment to spare, she rolled out of the way, the sound of heavy stone bashing against each other ringing in her ears. The princess hastily sprung to her feet and retreated to Ghirahim's side to reload.

The demon had just lifted himself from the ground by the time Zelda reached him, and Zant had just unsheathed his sword from the solid cobblestone that was now scarred with a hole. The enemy slowly turned to look at his prey in the distance. They were far too quick for him. If Zant desired to win, then he would have to become faster. Just like that, he disregarded his sword and burst into a dash towards the princess and demon again, now using his arms to block himself.

"How will he attack without a sword?!" Zelda rhetorically asked, not waiting for an answer. Her weapon was already reloaded, so she began to constantly shoot arrows at her speeding target. Every arrow latched itself deep into Zant's cloak and skin, but they did nothing to slow the enemy down. Zant bowed his head low, making him quicker than before. Zelda's eyes widened, realizing that her arrows would have no effect on him no matter what. Now that Zant was closing in on her, she didn't know what to do. The princess merely held her breath against her frozen feet and waited for the impact.

Ghirahim suddenly shoved the princess as hard as he could, the two of them hitting the ground with a hard thud. Zant stilled his feet so that he could slow down, but he kept uncontrollably skidding forward. Unfortunately for him, he slid right into the end of the alleyway, slamming hard against the wall. The embrace was so strong that it cracked his helmet down the middle. Zelda and Ghirahim held their breaths as they watched the helm split in half and fall off of his shoulders, revealing a head too small for his body. The impact must have been unbearable, because Zant immediately collapsed to the floor. The princess and the demon rose to their feet to inspect the enemy and were relieved to witness that there wasn't any real injury so he would be free for questioning.

"Come, help me to his feet," Zelda commanded as she attempted to lift Zant off of the ground.

Ghirahim tried to raise the unconscious Zant, but the pain in his foot suddenly made him cringe. He leaned against the wall for support and watched with guilt as Zelda continued to follow her own demands. "I'm afraid this will be too difficult a task for someone like us. We'll have to fetch a carriage and come back," he suggested, desperately not wanting to carry this heavy oaf on his delicate frame.

"And if he wakes up in the meantime?" Zelda countered with a huff. "What are we to do then? Maybe I can drag his body all the way back to the castle." The idea seemed illogical and exhausting, but at the moment she didn't have any other plan.

All of a sudden, Zant swiped his sturdy arm below the princess' feet and knocked her solidly to the ground. Her head hit the cobblestone with a thud, slightly dazing her for a few moments as Zant crawled on top of her. He curled his long, bony fingers around her delicate neck and began to suffocate her, bashing her head on the concrete as well. Ghirahim darted to the princess' side and tried to pull the enemy off, shouting for him to let go.

As if on cue, a group of night patrolling soldiers raced from around the corner with spears in hand. They threw Ghirahim off and immediately had him handcuffed. One of the warriors then severely bashed Zant on the head and ripped him off of the defenseless princess, who was still slightly trapped in her dizziness. They quickly handcuffed the other felon and helped the unfortunate Zelda to her feet. "Zelda!" One of them spoke, "are you alright? We heard some commotion and acted immediately!"

The princess blinked a few times, trying to come back to her senses. Her eyes first fell on Ghirahim, who was shoved against a wall and was being searched for weapons. "Release him!" She roared, throwing the soldiers off of him. "This is my companion from now on. He saved me and helped me track down this savage!"

Although hesitant, the soldiers did as they were told. Ghirahim moved away as swiftly as possible.

"What happened here?" One of the other soldiers asked. He was a bit more scrawny than the others.

"Nothing of importance." Zelda let the words sit on her tongue, thinking things through. "I hate to ask you this, especially since the night patrol is essential in this part of town, but I have a favor. I need you to transport this body to the castle and have him bound. Is that clear?"

Again the soldiers were hesitant, but they obeyed as they did before. The few of them lifted the heavy felon off of the ground and carried him on their shoulders like a coffin. Zelda rubbed her strangled neck and watched as the soldiers began to move out, returning to headquarters.

"We should return to the castle, as well," Zelda sighed to Ghirahim, standing by her side. "I'm sure Link is waiting on us, by now. We'll be dealing with a lot of paperwork." With that, she began to stride forward with the demon loyally trailing behind.

* * *

**Sorry this chapter took so long to release! I've been super busy. Hopefully you enjoyed:)**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter IV

By now, Link had sacrificed all of his fingernails and a molar in the back of his mouth. His ribs had been kicked in numerous times, his face was a mess, and his foot and knee had been embraced by the sledgehammer, shattering several bones. An ear had been sliced into several times, along with many slices all around his body. The worst of it all was the separation of his thumb from his hand. He would never be able to properly sword fight, much less _hold_ a sword, again. It didn't matter whether or not he "didn't know" where Zelda was or whether he "didn't tell;" the end result was always punishment. Link craved to know where the princess was just as much as Ganon. How long had it been? Was she hidden safely in the castle wondering when he was to return, or had Ghirahim stolen her somewhere? Had the other drug dealer ganged up on her too? Was Zelda being mercilessly tortured like he was? The thought made him shudder, but what could he possibly do now in this state?

A swift kick suddenly woke Link from his thoughts. The chair tumbled sideways to the floor, slamming his tender skull on the solid concrete. "What will it take for you to answer me, huh? What are you made of?" Ganondorf threw the chair on its back, forcing Link to look up at the demon. He then shoved his steel boot on Link's throat, blocking his air passage. "Don't give me those fierce eyes. Give me my answer!"

Link's chest tightened as time passed, sucking in air that wouldn't come. Blood ferociously rushed to his head as Ganon pressed the boot with more force. "St-" _Stop_, is what Link wanted to say, but he could hardly say a word, much less make noise or let a breath of desired air slip between his lips.

"Oh, do you have something that you would like to say?" Ganondorf hissed, kneeling in towards Link's face for a better listen. The boot was practically crushing the hero's windpipe. "You _would_ want to speak, wouldn't you, now that you're struggling to breathe? What makes you think that _you're_ in charge?"

Link clawed at the ends of the chair's arms as if trying to free himself. He swallowed hard, but nothing would pass by the steel that was squeezing his air's path. He could feel himself becoming severely lightheaded, and his chest was briskly bouncing. His ears were also filled with an unbearable ringing that prevented him from hearing anything other than his own rapid heartbeat. The hero tightly clenched his teeth. His vision was quickly darkening, nearly on the verge of blacking out. The victim tried to cough and gasp for precious air, but all that sputtered was a thin line of saliva, and instead he gagged and tried to swallow again, only ending in the same results.

Ganondorf snarled in disgust. "You're pathetic," he hissed as he rose to his feet again. The demon released Link from his suffering, and the knight immediately gasped for air, yet he breathed in his own saliva and erupted in a wave of coughs that stained his lungs. The king grabbed Link by the shirt and tossed the chair back in place, sitting the useless imbecile upright again. "It's shameful that someone like you could make me lose my temper." He crossed his arms behind himself and stood aloft from Link with his feet planted firmly on the ground. "I believe you had something to say to me? Spit it out."

Link still felt as if he could hardly breathe, his throat having been crushed into nothing. His vision was slowly returning, yet his head was still light. He swallowed hard, maybe swallowing what was left of his pride, but the motion in his throat ached. "Even… even if I knew of Zelda's whereabouts, I… I wouldn't tell you anything! You're wasting your time." His breathing was awfully heavy, unable to get the air he so desperately craved. "For all I know, one of your dealers have her!"

Ganondorf snickered at the thought. "No, they would be sharp enough to bring her to me before they tried anything so absentminded." He returned to his table of torture yet again and ran his fingers across the supplement of weapons, the sound of them clinking together sending a shiver down the victim's spine. He picked up a small knife about the size of his finger and held it in the air. The light that emitted from the torches and lamps reflected into Link's eye, which immediately closed in retaliation to the intensity. An idea must have sparked in Ganondorf's mind, because he bestowed a gruesome grin towards the defenseless knight.

Link's eyes flickered with fear as the beast roamed towards him with blade in hand. The tip of the knife gently brushed the edge of Link's sore throat, giving the hero an uneasy stomach.

"If you won't tell me what I want, then what's the point in living?"

Link started into a cold sweat and a light gasp snuck its way between his teeth. This was not what he wanted at all. But this was the sacrifice to pay in protecting the princess. He knew what the consequences would be when he decided to join Zelda's army, and he knew the consequences in becoming the head knight and her loyal body guard. If he had any desire to live, then that was thrown away long ago. Now feeling the tip poking at his neck, he knew the real taste of what it meant to be a Hylian Knight. He only wished he knew of Zelda's safety, but now there was no helping anything.

"Or better yet," Ganondorf spoke again, flummoxing the hero, "if you wish not to speak, then how about I grant you that wish?" Ganondorf's burly hand seized the defenseless victim's hair and cranked his head back, revealing the bareness of his throat. "I'll simply cut your vocal cords. I plan on leaving for a bit, so at least now you won't be able to scream for help. Is there anything you wish to say? Do you desire to taste sound with your tongue once more?"

Link didn't want to say anything, or else it would feel as if he were giving in to the dark forces. However, the more he thought about it the more he realized that he did have something he wanted to say; to feel the princess' soft name on his dry lips. He swallowed hard once more, and for some odd reason he could feel himself tearing up, though he refused to let a single tear fall. "Zelda."

Ganondorf waited for the knight to continue, but perhaps that was all he had to say. Without question, although humored, he wildly slashed the blade across Link's tense throat, spilling blood across the floor and wall. The cut was just deep enough that it ripped his vocal cords, but light enough that it wasn't fatal. The druglord threw the knife back to the table and turned away from the spewing and coughing hero. "I'll have someone stitch you up before you bleed to death. In the meantime, I'll be patiently waiting for the princess to arrive. I know she'll be returning to you soon." And with that, he trudged back up the stairs and shut the door behind himself, leaving the knight to drown in his own blood.

xXx

Day break had long since peered over the horizon, but the sun had yet to appear due to the dark clouds in the sky. Princess Zelda and Lord Ghirahim, along with the soldiers and their captive, had finally managed to reach castle grounds without a carriage and were entirely worn out. Now the weary Zelda and Ghirahim stood aloft from Zant, who was confined firmly behind bars. It was cold and dark in that room, far away from any sort of civilization. It was better this way. Zant was a dangerous creature and needed to be treated like one, even if it meant treating him like a wild animal, arms secured behind his back. He looked rather weak and pathetic without his helmet or weapons. His equipment was locked safe in another room, which would be returned to him only if he cooperated.

Zant snorted once and suddenly jolted awake. He wildly glanced around in the room in all directions with blatant curiosity. "Where am I?"

"Hyrule Castle's finest underground prison," Zelda replied with a smile, doing her best to come off as friendly. "You put up quite a fight, so naturally this would be the best suitable containment. Are you comfortable?"

Zant only glared at her, a light hiss seeping from his lungs.

"Good," Zelda cheered. She looked over at Ghirahim, confident eyes glistening. "Your friend, Lord Ghirahim, has already agreed to join me. He plans on bringing West Castle Town back to its feet. I'm sure you would be inclined to do the same, wouldn't you?"

"Why would I ever join you?" Zant screeched, kicking his feet on the ground. There was nothing much else he could do, being stuck in a sitting position on the cold cement.

Zelda lifted an eyebrow. "Don't you want your items? Or your freedom?"

"I gave myself to the king," Zant hissed. He now remained still, his head low to the ground. "If we were ever to join forces, then it would be because you'd finally fall to Ganondorf."

"I would never do such a thing." Now the princess was curious. She hadn't planned on leaking any information from this being, considering she could get anything she wanted from Ghirahim, but perhaps it would be best to gain some knowledge from Zant. "Why do you say that?"

Zant said nothing. As quickly as the conversation had started, it suddenly ended without warning. Zant bowed his head low to the ground, nearly touching the concrete. The night was long without hardly any sleep. If he was to be restrained then he would at least make use of it.

"Hey! Don't you dare fall asleep on your Majesty!" Ghirahim screeched as he chucked a piece of Zant's broken helmet at the prisoner, immediately waking him up.

"Let's not be rude," Zelda coaxed. "We should try to treat all of our guests with kindness." She was just as tired as Ghirahim and Zant, but at least she was doing well to control her temper.

Ghirahim flinched and clenched his fist in retort, but he remained obedient. Instead of scolding Zant any further, he turned to fully face Zelda with eyes distraught. "Ganondorf had originally planned that the two of you join together so that he could continue the widespread of his drugs. He would influence the public with the fear of Twinrova and other drugs to follow him, and then he would plainly get rid of you. If you didn't choose to cooperate in the first place, then he would simply have to use force."

Zelda lightly smirked, trying her best not to offend. "I don't see him getting any further than he already is. He doesn't exactly have an army, now does he? Not to mention that he would have great trouble with Link."

"Come to think of it," Ghirahim interrupted with a tap of his foot, "we haven't heard word from him since we left him at the drughouse. You don't suppose he's in trouble do you?"

Zelda pouted at such a nonsensical comment. "Link is the head Hylian Knight of Hyrule! Of course he's fine!"

Zant suddenly let out a quiet cackle, causing the two to spin around on their heel to face the wicked beast with his head still held low. "Don't be so foolish, Ghirahim. You and I are both well aware of Ganondorf's strength. That 'head knight' Link couldn't handle himself against such a fiend with power and brains combined of 10 men."

The princess, flustered and flabbergasted, approached the iron bars of the jail and firmly gripped the poles, the white of her knuckles becoming visible. "You obviously aren't aware of my knight's abilities," she huffed, weariness finally pressing at her back.

A thin line of a grin reaped itself onto Zant's grey cheeks, slapping everyone with a sinister glare that sent curious shivers down their spines. His mouth suddenly opened wide; almost as if his jaws were about to pop out of place. He stuck his slithering tongue out as far as he could, licking the bottom of his chin, and unexpectedly as quick as daylight clashed his pointed teeth over the purple flesh. Immediately his tongue began to pour with blood and he began to cough and gag and sputter the hideous red poison, blood gushing onto his clothes like a waterfall. His legs frantically kicked as if begging for help, but help was not what he desired. The demon had a death wish, for being a prisoner was not his forte.

"Zant!" Ghirahim shrieked. He retreated to Zelda's bag tied around her waist in search of a red potion. "Don't worry, Princess Zelda! You still have questions to ask. I'll save h-" Ghirahim had unearthed a bottle, but it was instantaneously whacked from his hands. The jar shattered into pieces and the healing potion splattered like a murder scene.

"Don't bother."

Ghirahim gasped and stared at the mess on the floor, unable to comprehend Zelda's reasoning. "What?"

The princess watched as Zant's violet tongue rolled across the floor like a snake preparing itself to whither. A pool of blood started to form between Zant's legs, which were ceasing their frenzied actions. Zelda glared and eased her grip on the iron bars in deep thought, then released her hands from the poles. "We won't be able to understand him without his tongue. Besides, you have all of the information I need. For now, we need to find Link." And before anyone could say another word, Zelda had already turned away from the morbid scene and was heading out the door.

Although Ghirahim had heard Zelda's words, his feet were still cemented to the floor and his eyes were still locked on the struggling prisoner. Eventually Zant's actions died down and the violent sputtering had come to an end. The body sat still for a moment before falling forward into its own crimson filth. Ghirahim merely studied the monstrosity. Everything was changing so suddenly that he nearly had no time to adapt. Was this really the right choice? But of course it was. He would be making a difference in West Castle Town. The sacrifice of one would be for the benefit of Hyrule. And his own life, of course. With a heavy sigh, the servant raced to trail behind the princess, eager to hear her next command.

xXx

Wet blood was stained over his uniform, but that was the least of his worries. Link's throat stung like the rest of his wounds. Despite the itching stitches on his neck sealing the injury, he still often found himself coughing or gagging due to the slit in his throat. It was like he was unable to breathe all of the time, though he was perfectly capable; it was merely a struggle. Not only that, but now he was suffering from lack of sleep. He had hardly shut his eyes that night only when Ganondorf had drugged him. He was also starving. When he thought about it, he recalled not having eaten earlier that day either, and only drinking when the witch had poisoned him. He was starving and thirsting. And tired. And in unutterable pain that he was forced to endure.

As much as he was ashamed to admit it, his selfish thoughts craved that Zelda would put herself in danger and save him. Where was she? That traitor promised that she would intrude within 30 minutes. Or had it not been yet? How long had it been? Link had no track of time considering he was trapped in a dark room with only a torch for light. But he wouldn't be tired for any other reason other than not sleeping. Or perhaps he was simply worn out from constant pain throbbing throughout his tortured bod. A deep lump formed in his throat and salted tears formed at the corners of his eyes, but by no means was he about to let himself sob.

"_Zelda_," he tried to speak aloud, but all that departed from his bloodied lips was air. He let out a shattering gasp and closed his eyes and bowed his head, desperate to be free.

An icy shiver ran down his spine that gave him unbearable goose bumps across his arms and legs. It was freezing in the basement. Would Ganondorf ever let him free, or would he leave him to rot in this forsaken hell? Or perhaps Ganon would be inclined to test a new drug on him. The beast wouldn't be kind enough to put Link out of his misery. Of course the demon would want his prey to suffer. Maybe Link could somehow escape. But what good would it do for Link to try to escape now? He was on the verge of death anyway. Even if he did manage to free himself, he couldn't walk with the shattered bones in his leg. Even if he did manage to escape, a heavy trail of blood would follow close behind. Even if he did manage to take hold of weapons, he wouldn't be able to properly defend himself against such a cruel animal. So what good would it be to live if he couldn't escape?

No, no. He had to remain positive. But in a situation like this, how optimistic could he force himself to be? At this point, he might as well attempt to kill himself somehow. But of course he would never do such a thing; not with the small ray of hope that Zelda might come to save him. Princess Zelda would speed through those doors and down the basement stairs and would rush to his aid with all sorts of healing potions and food and plentiful of water and a warm blanket. And then she would take him back to the castle and he would wash all of the mess away from his body and climb into his soft bed and sleep until he was well rested. And Ganondorf and all of this never would have existed in the first place. He could once again train soldiers in the courtyard, or spend his days peacefully protecting the princess from a danger that would never arrive.

Link had to force another wave of tears back, following with a childish sniffle. Creating this fantasy only made him far more emotional than he already was, and it only added to his throbbing headache. What was to become of him? All he could do was sit in fear of Ganondorf's return and hope for Zelda's arrival beforehand.

xXx

Zelda again had to have a carriage take her to West Castle Town, and just like the previous time it refused to go any farther than it had before. Due to this unfortunate obstacle, the princess offered a substantial amount of rupees to the gentlemen for his cart. It would be easier to transport the prisoner this way. Lord Ghirahim took the reins of the horse and drove the cart throughout the rest of West Castle Town with Zelda sitting unnerved in the carriage behind, impatiently waiting to reunite with Link and hopefully encounter a defeated Ganondorf.

There was no real reason for her to fear, was there? She put all of her faith into her shining knight. Even he asked that he be allowed less time when handling the business because he held the utmost confidence in himself. Perhaps Link had already managed to capture Ganondorf and was simply having trouble carrying the body by himself back to Hyrule Castle. Yes, of course that was the reason. Once Zelda and Ghirahim checked the drughouse, then they would check around the rest of the town as well.

The grey clouds in the sky barely cleared up enough to bestow the town with a sliver of golden light. It must have been an hour or so past noon. Link had been missing for quite some time. Zelda and Ghirahim had left the scene, hunted down the other drug dealer and took him to Hyrule Castle in the same time that Link had been gone. What if Ganondorf hadn't been in the drughouse, so Link was out looking for him? Or what if he was out looking for Zelda because she had been gone? The princess silently cursed herself for having left the scene. She promised Link that she would come in after him when the 30 minute mark passed, but instead she went to find the other drug dealer. On one hand, it was beneficial that the seller was gone, but on the other she was now oblivious to Link's whereabouts. Was it really all that beneficial?

The carriage slowed to a stop in front of the familiar drughouse and Lord Ghirahim stepped off of the cart. He then made his way to the back and opened the door for Princess Zelda who gently made her exit.

"We'll have to be quick," Ghirahim informed as the two of them walked up the steps. "I'm fairly certain that Ganondorf isn't here right now. Not many customers are around during the sunlight hours."

The two of them approached the door and put their ears to the rusted metal, listening to see if anyone was inside. Not even the sound of music was playing. Ghirahim glanced back at Zelda and beckoned for her to follow as he opened the door, the partners rushing inside as quickly as they could. The servant then locked the door just in case anyone was to intrude. It was strange; the place was nearly empty. There was only one man in the entire drughouse and he held a bloodied thread and needle. The gruffly man tended to hold his eyes onto the princess with a manner of lust. Ghirahim and Zelda would be sure to steer clear of him.

"How odd," Ghirahim audibly spoke as he casually walked through the bar.

Zelda stayed close by him, holding her hand behind herself in case she had to draw her bow and arrow. "What's wrong?" She asked with peeled eyes and heightened senses.

"Normally, there are at least one or two old women behind the bar. They construct the drugs. Neither one of them are here right now. They could be off somewhere with Ganondorf." He swallowed hard. Maybe the druglord had found out about Ghirahim's traitorousness and was plotting revenge.

"There was a scuffle last night," the man suddenly spoke. It sounded as if he were about to say more, but that was all that he said. He looked as if he hadn't showered in months.

"What happened?" Ghirahim asked, although maybe sounding a little too eager. He came closer to the man in the seat, hoping that he looked imposing enough to scare this man out of his information. However, he appeared willing enough with or without force.

"Some kid in a knight's uniform took out some witches."

"That was Link!" Zelda cheered with glistening eyes as she took a hopeful step forward.

"And those were the old women, Koume and Kotake," Ghirahim added. "Link must have taken out the crafters. That's good."

Zelda avidly raced forward with hands clasped together in plea. "Where is the boy in the knight's uniform. Did you see where he went? I must know!"

The filthy animal drenched in sweat looked the princess up and down and raised his eyebrows and licked his chapped lips. "What do I get in return?"

The vehement Ghirahim's eyebrow twitched in disgust. Everything suddenly became fast - He moved in front of Zelda's pure being and took a hold of this monster's grease-stained shirt with his white gloves. "Tell us where he is, right now!"

"He told me not to tell!" The old man screeched, barring his gums and three teeth.

"Who told you not to tell?" Zelda demanded. The princess drew her bow and arrow and held it hot against the man's steaming head. The point dug into his skull and retracted blood; she had to prove somehow that she meant business.

"Ganondorf!" He cried, pushing back on Ghirahim's indestructible grip with his blood stained palms. "He said he'd punish me as bad as the soldier if I told!"

"The soldier?!" Zelda gasped. Her flickering eyes raced to the needle and thread on the table and then looked back at the hideous excuse for a human. "Wha- _The knight_?! What did you do to him?!" She shrieked, shoving the arrow harder into the man's skull, forcing him to crank his head away.

"Don't be an idiot," Ghirahim snarled at the animal, holding him against the tip of the arrow head. "Ganondorf _wants_ us to find Link! If this is the set up, then he's luring us! He would only give an imbecile the responsibility of holding a secret _knowing_ that he would spill. I know these things because I'm a servant of Ganondorf! We already know what sort of danger we're getting ourselves into. Tell us now or else _we'll_ be force to punish you!"

Ghirahim and Zelda held their breaths in hopes that this coward wouldn't call their bluff, and thankfully he was far too unintelligible to do so. "The basement. It's that door behind the table! Please don't hurt me!"

Zelda tore her eyes away from the man and held her gaze on the door. It was black and stained with scratches. Who knew how many people tried to claw their way to freedom? She glared down at the gross man again that shivered in their grip. The princess had no doubt that this man was the cause for Link's suffering, or at least she greatly assumed. She didn't know what the needle and thread were for and she didn't know what the punishment was, but it was enough that she was overcome with blind rage. Zelda was always one to reason with her citizens, however everything suddenly changed when she released the arrow into the man's head. He silently screamed and instantly fell limp in Ghirahim's hands and fell to the floor with a loud thud, warm blood oozing from the opening given by the arrow.

Ghirahim and Zelda stepped back in disgust, but the moment didn't last long. Their pulsing legs darted for the door, aggressively throwing the table and chairs from their path, and swung the door open with so much force that it slammed against the wall with an echo. They then raced down the pitch black staircase, guided only by a small golden flickering light at the end of the hallway. Zelda's breathing grew heavy as she neared the bottom, desperate to see if Link was alright, though she was certain she knew the outcome.

As the light at the end of the staircase grew vibrant, Zelda's spirits began to blossom with newfound hope.

* * *

**I know that a slit to the throat would mean automatic death, but I really just want Link so lose his voice okay asdfghjk. Also, sorry for posting this so late. I wrote it like a month ago but I forgot to post it ACK. And now I'm going to have to wait a little while to post the next chapter sorry sorry.**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter V

Zelda had finally reached the end of the stairs and came into a room as cold as ice, yet barely warmed by a torch. The floors and walls were tainted with blood and skulltula webs and hideous sights that made her head spin. Again her frantic eyes clawed about the room for Link, and she was suddenly taken aback by a man confined in a chair with his head held low. It was obvious he was Link, yet Zelda couldn't help but be startled by his mangled appearance. She stood there for a moment, so frightened by his appearance that she didn't know how to react. Link suddenly let out a quiet cough and Ghirahim forced his way around Zelda, waking the princess from her thoughts. She frantically ran to the hero and met him in his moment of need, the two of them kneeling down before him.

"Link, I…" Zelda was too hysterical to come up with something logical. She held his face in her hands and lifted his head to look at him. His face was drenched in dry and fresh blood, and his eyes lacked the normal fighting spirit they used to hold. "Oh, Link. I'm- I'm so sorry!" She fumbled with words as she brushed back his matted bangs from his forehead, however she immediately retaliated and looked at her glove that was now colored red.

Ghirahim had to squint in the light to see Link's face. "His eyes are bloodshot. Ganondorf must have given him something to keep him awake during these punishments."

Zelda trembled. Link must have been in so much pain. What sort of torture did he have to endure and why? A potion! She had to ease his pain. Her jittery hands retreated to her bag in a frenzied search of a potion, but discovered only bottles of water. Her gasps grew heavy. Where were the potions?

"I had dropped the last one earlier!" Ghirahim sourly admitted. He didn't want the princess to feel guilty about knocking it out of his hands earlier. Instead, the assistant jumped to his feet and began backing away. "I'll find a potion at the bar. We're bound to have some!" He hasted out of the basement quicker than his feet could take him and disappeared into the darkness.

Zelda could feel her skin growing hot and tears swelling up at the corner of her eyes as she stared up at the broken spirit in front of her. "Tell me you're alright. What did they do to you?" The princess sobbed. She forced Link to lean back in his chair so he could rest and impatiently waited an answer, but he spoke not a word. "Please speak to me! Did they damage your spirit that horrifically?" She cried in between sniffles. Then she noticed the deep scar on his neck sealed by stitches. The sight was so terrifying that she thought she might throw up. "L… L-Link." Hot tears streamed down her face as she stretched her blood-tainted glove to feel the stitches on his neck. "What… did they do to you?"

Link was honestly a mess. Missing fingernails, thumb, his leg was mangled, cuts and wounds and bruises all over his face and body. There must have been several broken bones that Zelda was missing in sight. She had to get him out of that chair. Zelda stood up and looked around, then came to a table with various weapons. Knifes? Needles? Were these the torture devices? The princess' shoulders shook as she uncontrollably sobbed. She never meant for this to happen. She should have stayed by his side.

Zelda snatched a pair of pliers and began to work on the chains around his ankles. She tried to be as gentle as possible, but the chains were so strong that she was forced to be aggressive in order to break them. Link seldom gasped in pain, but he did his best to hold it back. His legs were free; now she had to save his arms. Zelda's stomach turned as she was forced to look at his violated hand while removing the first restraint. It didn't even look like Link's hand anymore. "Forgive me…" The princess sniffled as she finally forced away the second wrist chain.

Link brushed his knuckles against Zelda's cheek, wiping a tear away and stirring the girl from her thoughts. She looked up at the tarnished hero and was surprised to see that he was faintly smiling. After all that had happened, he was just pleased to finally see her and to know that she was okay. He parted his lips as if to say something, but he couldn't sooth her with words if he tried. He merely smiled at her, and the princess was relieved enough to return a faint smile as well.

"I need to get you out of here," Zelda hummed with her usual sweet voice, doing her best to come back to her senses. She leaned forward and grabbed him firmly around his waist and chest like a hug, and Link threw his arms around Zelda's neck and shoulders. "This is going to hurt, but I need you to stand." The princess suddenly began to lift the heavy hero, who did his best to rise to his feet. He grimaced in unfathomable pain and took in a deep gasp followed by waves of coughs. "Sorry!" Zelda was accidentally squeezing too tight on his ribs, and there was no possible way that Link would be able to stand on his shattered leg. Link gripped tightly around Zelda for support as he nearly collapsed to the floor. Thankfully, Zelda was able to get him back into the chair.

The knight was breathing heavily and had broken out in a sweat. Zelda wouldn't be able to get him out of this place by herself. She would have to wait for Ghirahim to return. Hopefully the potion would do the hero some good as well.

"Leaving so soon?" A burly voice suddenly called.

Zelda whipped her head around to look at a muscular and tall man standing in the doorway. He had Ghirahim secured tightly by his arms, holding them behind his back in an uncomfortable way. The princess' heart began to beat at a rapid pace. Link suddenly grabbed Zelda's wrist and squeezed it tightly, his eyes locked onto the ground. Zelda glanced down at him for a moment with fear, but then returned her gaze to the demon before her.

"Allow me to introduce myself, Princess Zelda," the heavy beast spoke with a malicious smile. He took a few confident steps forward, forcing Ghirahim to move with him. "My name is Ganondorf, and I would like to make a deal with you."

For several moments, the only sounds echoing in the cold room were the sounds of the flickering torches. This was, without a doubt, the man who harassed Link in a way so inhumane. Zelda slowly rose to her feet, her eyes consumed with both fury and fear. She held her bow and arrow close, prepared to raise it towards him in defense at any moment. Just how quick was he? How big of a threat did he impose? If Ganondorf was strong enough to restrain Link, then Zelda would surely be no match for such a fiend. All that she could do momentarily was listen to a deal that she would have to refuse. Then what? She wouldn't be able to fight her way out. Arriving to the drughouse without proper backup was a horrible decision. Princess Zelda hadn't been thinking when venturing into the abyss. Link had been her number one priority, yet she didn't plan out the consequences.

"I'm sure that my henchmen have told you everything you need to know," the beast started with a contemptuous sneer; "I'd like to form an alliance. Assist me with the widespread of my medicine and I won't be inclined to harm another single soul."

"You call it medicine like it's a benefit for the public." Zelda gripped tighter onto her weapons, now craving to spark the demon right in his face. "Your drugs have done more harm than any of our recent wars, and distributing it further will only damage the kingdom in ways unimaginable. What makes you think that you and I would ever form any sort of alliance?

Again the room fell silent. Ganondorf lightly snickered, followed by humored laughter, and then threw his head backwards in the midst of a bellowing cackle so fierce that they rang like thunder in everyone's ears. The king threw his head back down, his eyes sparkling with malice, and bared his grinning teeth at the shuddering princess. "I had anticipated this. If that's the case, then maybe this kingdom needs a new ruler?"

"What's the point in ruling a kingdom if there is no one left to rule over?!" Zelda yelled, taking a daring step forward.

Ganondorf tilted his head slightly, his malicious grin slowly but surely dispersing from his dark face. "Is a reason really necessary? I don't exactly desire to rule over anything. I just wish to destroy, with all honesty." The demon slowly reached his masculine hand into a pouch latched to his side. He dug around a bit, the suspense sucking everyone's breath away, before revealing a dreadful syringe. It was the hideous brownish color that everyone feared so, the color of Twinrova. A devious grin stretched across Ganondorf's scandalous lips before he lifted the needle in the air and slung it down into Ghirahim's neck, who let out a grunt of pain. "I suppose your kingdom won't need a princess to rule. You won't be getting out of this, _Zelda_!" The king forcefully shoved the pale servant to the ground, becoming immediately consumed by flames. Before any person could commit any further action, Ganondorf turned on his heal and slammed the steel door shut, locking it behind himself and trapping the remaining three characters inside.

Ghirahim instantly clutched at his wildly bleeding neck with his wriggling hands. "Zelda!" He pleaded at the top of his lungs so desperately that is sent shivers down the princess' spine. Raging fires erupted from the piercing hole in his neck and raced up his cheek, opening 3rd degree burns that ripped at his skin and revealed the muscle underneath. His glossy eyeball burned like boiling water and bled like a running waterfall, quickly becoming consumed by the fire and melting like molten metal. His hands caught fire as well which he waved about in the air like a mindless buffoon, but it was all that he could think to do in such a horrifying moment like this. "Water!" He shrieked like raising hell, but he immediately choked on his words, the scorching flames tearing at his throat. Every audible noise he made from then on merely sounded like gags and coughs, but his previously grimacing face was consumed by an unnatural sneer.

Princess Zelda stared in utter disbelief, having never come face-to-face with a victim of Twinrova. She had seen many things in her lifetime, but an observation such as this was unbearable. How was she to possibly fight – no, _save_ this being? It deemed impossible. And although she desperately wanted to save this beloved newfound friend, she had a greater compelling to save Link.

The princess stood above her shuddering knees and tightly gripped onto her weapons. She aimed her bow and arrow at the wriggling victim, doing everything in his power to free himself from this mess although quickly becoming possessed. Zelda, not wanting to harm her new dear friend, closed one eye in retaliation as she released a swift arrow towards the poor fellow. The arrow swept right past him and snapped against the wall. The young woman winced in fear, glad that she missed but frustrated that she was far too weak to pierce the monster. And in retort to this sudden attack, Ghirahim demonically whipped his head to look at the unconfident princess. He let out another choked laugh, strange spit pouring from his cracking lips.

Ghirahim fiercely ran towards Zelda, his current target. It was as if his legs were always giving out on him; the way he moved towards her was as if he was falling down, yet he moved at an unnaturally quick pace. He swung an arm towards the girl as he stumbled forward and a wave of fire swept through the air. The princess ducked and moved backwards, terrified that she would be forced to fight this monster. She suddenly forgot that this person was her friend and saw it merely as a demon that had to be stopped, yet she didn't have the strength to defeat it. The princess moved backwards and pointlessly aimed her weapons at the monster without the willpower to shoot. With another tight shut of her eyes, the frightened girl released another arrow from her grip, this time hitting the demon in the upper leg. Ghirahim tried to cry out in pain, but all that aired were gurgles. The impact caused him to fall to his knees, but he hastily forced himself to his feet again. Now he walked towards his prey with great struggle and a slow pace, but it didn't stop him from moving forward.

Not paying attention, Zelda backed away and tripped on her own skirt and crashed mercilessly to the floor, her hand dragging down several torture instruments on her lap as she stretched her hand out for the table to save herself. Although some of the knives ripped her skirt and parts of her skin, she was so taken by Ghirahim's form that she didn't even notice the light stinging. All that Zelda felt was the hellish heat emitting from the demon. Her eyes flickered with utter terror. What was she to do? How was she to fight this? She came all this way to save Link and she could hardly stand!

It was as if Link didn't even exist, because the enemy walked right past him and kept its eyes locked on Zelda. Link remained unmoved for several moments, still trying to process the situation at hand. It wasn't until he heard precious Zelda's innocent scream that he finally snapped back to his senses. Link turned to face Ghirahim slowly inching towards the fallen maiden. Despite his injuries, he had to save her! The hero instinctively tried to force himself to a stand, but an intense amount of pain shot up his leg so dreadful that he collapsed to the ground with a crash. The attempt was so painful that Link found himself hardly unable to breathe, practically choking on his breath. However, he couldn't stop, not even if his leg was twisted inhumanely on the dirt. He dragged himself to one of the knives on the floor that had bounced towards him from the table. His weak and broken fingers on his hand barely grabbed the blade and tossed it at Ghirahim's backside. The throw was nowhere near strong enough to pierce through the monster's skin, but it was enough to obtain his attention. The fire-consumed monster now looked at Link with utter rage, declaring this as his new target.

Princess Zelda was wide eyed with fear. Now Link was the prey, but Zelda couldn't let Link get harmed any more than he already was. She looked behind herself at the Hylian shield sitting peacefully on the corner of the walls. The maiden frantically grabbed it and tossed it to Link. "Here!" She encouraged. The hero fearfully held it over his head just as Ghirahim stomped his heavy foot on the fire-resistant metal. However, the heat emitting through the shield burned Link's hands.

Zelda swallowed dryly and aimed her bow and arrow at Ghirahim's backside. Now determined to save the hero, she released an arrow through the burning monster's shoulder blade. Again he coughed and gagged, but he hardly faltered. Princess Zelda winced at the thought, just wondering how much pain Ghirahim was forced to endure, but what could she possibly do? There was absolutely no turning back at this point. She rose to her feet to get better aim at the animal, but a wave of flames was immediately thrown her way, which the princess barely managed to duck in time. Unfortunately, the demon suddenly charged at her, tackling her into the wall with supernatural force. Tiny bits of flames danced on her clothes and armor. Zelda began to panic, gasping and quickly putting out the fire as quickly as she could by patting on them with her gloves. All of a sudden, Ghirahim tackled her again, this time throwing his body onto her. The princess shrieked with fear, trying to shove him off of her with her bow.

Link's eyes flickered with apprehension. He tried to call her name, but all that aired was a helpless gasp. The fallen hero attempted to rise to his feet, but his body was far too weak and he could hardly stand, much less get off of his stomach. He merely fell back to the ground, his chin smacking the concrete. What would he possibly do in this state? Zelda's screams and pleas for help consumed Link with both rage and fear. He had to help her! The idea that the princess was suffering and that there was nothing he could do made him shudder. Link dragged himself forward, using all of his upper body strength to slide towards the malicious demon. He grabbed one of the fallen utensils on the floor, retrieving a pair of scissors. When he was close enough to the wicked demon, he jammed the pointed object right into the beast's ankle. Ghirahim wailed with pain and slammed his shoulder against the wall for balance, but instead merely fell backwards.

Zelda hastily brushed away the flames burning her clothes, which thankfully were few. The only stains were a few minor burns on her hands and arms, but nothing major or skin breaking. She rushed from the wall and moved to Link's side, roughly assisting him into a sitting position against one of the legs of the tables. Reopened wounds erupted with blood gushes. The princess stared in horror, but there was nothing she could do for him in the moment.

Ghirahim sprawled to his feet once more, but the injury in his leg and ankle made it impossible for him to stand, yet the craving for bloodshed was greater than his pain. The possessed animal dragged his wounded leg behind him as he crawled on three of his working limbs towards the two innocents. He hissed through his gaping throat, which was now melting; pieces of his skin began to slide from his neck, bits of muscle smacking onto the concrete. The rest of his body was in a similar state, chunks of his body falling apart. Yellow bubbles and boils appeared all over his once flawless skin, and his bloodshot eye quivered with apprehension, yet pure malice. It was nothing he could control; while deep down he gravely craved that none of this had ever happened, the drug forced him to go against his will and move forward with the desire to kill. Hot tears of regret began to seep from the corners of his eyes, but a newfound pain caused him to shriek to the heavens. What was this sudden icy feeling on his cheeks that burned with more force than the scorching flames? He touched his bloodied and burning hand to his face and looked down at his fingers, which were slowly but surely being covered in ice. _This was the cure! Water!_

Link and Zelda glared at the conflicting demon. Ghirahim had momentarily returned to his senses, but that dispersed with all too little time. Again the demon was crawling for them again, this time at a faster speed. However, Link recalled his encounter with Doctor Borville – water being the solution to Twinrova. His fragile and trembling hand tugged on Zelda's bag, filled with countless bottles of water that he remembered seeing earlier. He tried to speak to her, but it was pointless without a voice. Princess Zelda, however, knew what he was trying to imply. The light in Link's eyes had momentarily returned, desiring to fight once more. Overcome with newfound hope, the princess dug into her satchel like a maniac, searching wildly for the bottles that she had happened upon earlier, and retrieved a few bottles of water. How many would it take to defeat this demon?

Ghirahim was drawing closer. Zelda hastily removed the cork from one of the bottles and returned her attention to the beast. Was something this simple really the answer? They could simply wait for Ghirahim to freeze over, but that might take too long. Of course, Ghirahim's tears had caused bits of his face to freeze over, along with the ice crawling up his hand, but it seemed far too easy. Whatever the solution, the princess did as Link desired anyway; she tossed the bottle forward without it releasing from her hand, sending a mountain of water splashing right into the enemy's face.

Upon immediate impact, the once stubborn and ferocious demon, who later appeared to be rather benevolent and selfless, was rolling across the floor and covering his face and screaming with high-pitched wheezing. Zelda held her breath and grimaced. Not wanting to see what happened any further, she shut her eyes as tightly as she could and covered her ears, dropping the bottle and hoping for everything to disappear. Ghirahim sprawled across the concrete, having light seizures as he clawed at his own body, trying to forcefully rip away the ice racing up his dying skin. He slammed his fists against the cold floor as the frost dug under his nails and creeped into his eye sockets. Compared to the pain he was previously experiencing, this was unlike anything he had ever experienced before. His movements began to slow at pace and his efforts grew less and less. His breathing slowed and his body began to decline in fighting back the ice. Instead of battling, he accepted his fate and froze over, everything becoming silent except for the remaining dancing fires sitting on the floor.

The room was quiet. Zelda finally opened her eyes and uncovered her ears, her sight falling immediately on the mangled and distorted looking Ghirahim frozen in solid ice. Surrounding him were small pools of blood and melted skin and bits of frolicking fire. Her breathing was unbearably heavy having experiencing something so traumatizing and it was difficult to remove her eyes from such a morbid scene. However, she forced her vision to turn to Link, who was now lying seemingly lifeless against the table leg. His eyes were open, but the fighting light in them had once again disappeared and they had once again fallen dull, his eyelids drooping. He almost looked dead, but his chest was barely moving up and down and a light wheezing was audible from his bloodied lips. Thankfully he was okay, although he wouldn't survive without proper care. As much as Zelda wanted to shriek and cry and hug the hero for comfort, she had to return to the castle. Ganondorf was still out there and he would have to be stopped. There was no time for being a coward.

xXx

When the princess and the hero had returned to the castle, Link was instantly taken to Zelda's room where he was cared for and tended to by half of Hyrule Castle's best nurses, and he didn't fall asleep for another day or so. His wounds were quickly healing thanks to the abundance of potions, but there were some things that would never be fully functional again. His voice, for example, would never return to him. His shattered leg would be difficult to walk on, and the missing thumb would make it hard to hold a sword again. Would he ever be the same after such a traumatizing experience? Now that he had been sleeping for the past several days, it would be complicated to tell unless he woke up.

A funeral was held for Ghirahim in the castle's garden. There was nothing else that could be done, so Zelda at least figured she could show her respects to him. Ghirahim truly lived an awful life, and it bothered the princess even more so that she wasn't able to help him. The least that she could do was follow up with Ghirahim's request and save West Castle Town from the gutters. The funeral had ended with a beautiful rain shower accompanied by the youthful sunset. Zelda paid all of the respects she possibly could towards a fallen comrade and returned back inside the castle where she wouldn't return from for a couple days, merely staying by the hero's sleeping side.

Zelda sat quietly in a velvet chair next to her own bed where Link lay silently breathing. Many of his scars disappeared due to the potion's effects, but who knew what sort of person he would be once he woke up? Princess Zelda, for sure, was definitely a different person. Once quite outgoing and strong, she was now damaged with silence and sorrow. The maiden had seen many things in her life, but the events she recalled a few nights ago were nothing she thought she'd ever see in her lifetime. The past few nights were sleepless, waking up to Ghirahim's mangled face. Link's damaged body also crossed her mind every once in a while, so she had to look at Link's healed face to reassure herself. Princess Zelda wanted to believe that Link looked peaceful while he slept, but the truth of the matter was that he looked rather disturbed all of the time, his eyebrows often creasing into frustration. She gently brushed her fingers through Link's hair in attempt to sooth him, but the damaged hero would only cringe or gasp.

"Oh dear Link," Zelda now spoke as she sat next to the hero, tears swelling up in her eyes. "What ever will we do?" She lightly squeezed his unarmored arm that sat on top of the bed sheets, his missing thumb and wrapped hand sending tremors down her spine.

Link's eyes suddenly trembled before opening slowly. Of all the sights he wanted to see once he woke up, he did not want to see a crying Zelda. Link lightly gasped at his friend and tried to speak to her, but suddenly recalled that his voice was forever lost. Instead, he moved his arm out of her grip to squeeze her hand with his in reassurance. The action only made Zelda cry more, who covered her mouth with her free hand and tightly shut her eyes. She bowed forward and buried her face in Link's bandaged chest, loudly sobbing against his breathing. Link used his free hand to gently brush her hair. He wanted to cry with her, but he had to be strong for the princess. He closed his glossy eyes to fight back the tears, but closing them only recalled the pain in the basement. Despite all that they had been through, none of it was close to being over. Ganondorf had to be stopped no matter the cost, even if it meant making Zelda, _the strongest of all Hyrule_, cry like this. It wasn't fair, but it would have to do if the two of them wanted to save Hyrule. Otherwise, the fate of the kingdom would be lost.


End file.
